END Rises
by TheNotoriousNovelist
Summary: AU: After Fairy Tail fails to stop Face, Tartaros opens E.N.D.'s book only for all to be surprised when E.N.D. turns out to be Natsu! 5 months later and the Demons of Zeref's Books have caused nothing but pain and destruction for the magic deprived Fiore. Now the united guilds, known as the Freedom Fighters, must defeat Tartaros... and possibly rescue Natsu from his past self. NaLi
1. Prologue: Return of the Ultimate Demon

**If Fairy Tail failed to stop Tartaros... what would have happened?**

 **I pronounce E.N.D. as the word "end" and not letter-by-letter because I think it sounds way cooler... also, I don't usually read the manga but when I had this idea for a story, I specially read the Tartaros Arc.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or the cover image but I hope that's what E.N.D. will look like because it's totally badass and I'm pretty sure the big Fairy Tail finale will be Natsu going E.N.D. (what else could it be?)**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Prologue:

Return of the Ultimate Demon

 _...Unknown amount of time ago..._

* * *

It was a horrifying sight to watch... Fairy Tail had stood before the members of Tartaros and were crippled by the pain of Face's activation. The magic left Fiore in that instant but before the former mages could recover from their deprivation, Mard Geer _opened_ E.N.D.'s book. The pages flickered as the demonic power was released and the wind swirled around them as things went dark. People got to their feet with the aid of whatever they could grab and Erza weakly lifted her already-present sword. Mard Geer laughed at their pitiful state when a red mist began seeping out of the turning book pages.

"What the heck is that?!" Gray yelled.

"E.N.D.! HE RISES FROM HIS 400 YEAR LONG SLUMBER!" Mard Geer yelled with a smug grin on his face.

The mist cascaded across the floor but avoided making contact with any of the Fairy Tail members. It seemed to be looking for someone... The Demons of Zeref's Books watched in anticipation of where the mist would reform into their guild master. Surprisingly, it didn't. The red mist began to near Natsu when it stopped as if to think. It circled his ankles as if still unsure when it began to close in.

"What the- WHAT IS THIS?!" Natsu yelled but the demons seemed as dumbstruck as him.

"Could it be?" Seilah wondered "Might Igneel have _already_ released E.N.D. so the book merely held his memories and power? But not his _actual_ being?"

The red mist suddenly locked around Natsu's ankles and began to turn black on contact. The pink-haired boy found his feet stuck into place when he tried to move them. His friends attempted to reach him but Tartaros sprang into action and restrained the now powerless mages (some by physically holding them back and others by inflicting curses on them). The mist rose to Natsu's knees as it quickly swirled around him when it suddenly burst into flames!

"NATSU!" Lisanna cried "PLEASE TELL ME E.N.D. ISN'T ABOUT TO USE HIM AS A HOST?!"

The others watched in both horror and amazement as the firestorm encased their friend and blew the roof of off the Cube. There was an ear-piercing scream from Natsu as, for the first time, fire _burned_ him! It left black marks on his arms, up his neck, and across his face. Everything around him blurred as the old memories flooded through his mind and the Demonic Fire Curse filled his (now empty) internal magic container. Natsu fell to his knees as he screamed, the roar of a monster followed close behind.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed as she suffered on the floor of a painful curse.

All they could see was his silhouette as he fell amidst the raging fire and collapsed to the ground. In an instant, the firestorm dissipated and left Natsu on his hands and knees. Smoke floated off of him as he took deep breaths.

"Natsu...?" Lisanna asked, tears in her eyes.

Natsu pushed himself to his feet to reveal his new appearance. He wore baggy white trousers tucked into black knee-high boots, a black wrap on his left hip with a brown belt, a sleeveless black skin-tight shirt with a grey lining and the Tartaros emblem in grey over his right pectoral, a black elbow-length glove on his right arm with black cloth tied around his wrist, black cloth tied around his left wrist and a black cape fell down his back that was attached by golden clasps. Appose to his clothes, his hair was longer and more rugged and his dark eyes gained an unsettling golden glint in them. The scarf Igneel had given him was left in the dirt at his feet. He stepped forward, at first uneasy on his own two feet, and approached Lisanna as a fanged grin spread across his tanned face. He pinched her chin with his thumb and index finger before whispering into her ear...

"My name... is not Natsu... it's E.N.D.!"

Lisanna gasped and jumped back despite Lamy holding her still. E.N.D. walked away from her with a sadistic smile and he laughed as he looked up to the sky. Fairy Tail looked on in horror as he put his hand over their guild's emblem... and _burned_ it off! Out of the ashes of the Fairy Tail guild mark, the Tartaros guild mark was revealed underneath in grey. It couldn't be true... it couldn't! It had to be E.N.D. _possessing_ Natsu! This couldn't _actually_ be who Natsu truly was! Could it?

" _E.N.D.!_ "

They looked up at the hole in the ceiling to see Zeref standing above them. The Black Wizard looked down at E.N.D. before a genuine smile spread across his face. He jumped down from the ledge and walked over to be standing before the boy once known as Natsu.

"It's been a long time..." Zeref said, almost pleasantly.

"400 years... you couldn't have unlocked me any sooner, Big Brother?" E.N.D. asked him with a smirk _"Man_... I forgot how great it felt to be _me!"_

Fairy Tail was stunned. Did... Natsu just refer to Zeref as "Big Brother" or was that E.N.D. talking? Either way, Lucy began to struggle as the curse weakened her. She reached out to him and yelled his name.

"NATSU! Please... snap out of it... E.N.D. can't posses you! You're Natsu Drag-"

Before she could even finish, E.N.D. had his hand around her neck and was lifting her above the floor.

"Don't you get it, yer Blonde Bimbo?! I'm not E.N.D. _possessing_ another's body... I've always been E.N.D.; _Etherious Natsu Dragneel!"_ the ultimate demon told her with a smile at her pain "This is who I truly am! Had that stupid Fire Dragon, Igneel, not sealed my power and memories away, this would have been who I always was!"

With that, E.N.D. lifted her higher into the air and golden-black flames encased his free hand. Lucy looked terrified into his eyes but saw no glimmer of remorse... just psychotic pleasure. He punched her right in her gut and she spat out blood as she flew from his hand. The blonde crashed into Elfman and Mirajane and they all slammed into the wall behind them. E.N.D. laughed at their pain as random red and orange flames began burning from his body.

"Nothing sweeter than another's pain!" he declared "It really is... good to be back..."

He looked back and caught the eye of the horrified Lisanna as she struggled to process what she'd bared witness to. Natsu... was E.N.D., the most powerful of the Demons of Zeref's Books, even stronger than Zeref himself, over 400-years-old and... the man she'd fallen in love with. Unchecked tears ran down her pale cheeks at the sight of the Etherious Demon. E.N.D. walked over to her and pinched her chin again before drawing her face closer to his.

"Hmm... I really did fall in love with you, Lisanna, during my time as a Fairy Tail wizard," he said as he wiped a line of her tears away with the back of his index finger "and it seems... that those feelings still linger,"

He pulled her from Lamy's grip and put his other arm around her waist to keep her held to his side. He moved the hand he had pinched her chin with and caressed her tear-stained cheek with it, holding her face in place. Lisanna looked into his dark eyes in fear when he suddenly leaned down and stole her first kiss. Her eyes widened and his narrowed to look at her. After a moment, he released her and she fell to her knees with her hands over her mouth.

"That... was my first kiss..." she whimpered "I was... saving it for... Natsu... for his birthday..."

E.N.D. snickered at the white-haired beauty.

"Well, I _am_ Natsu and today was the day I was _reborn_ yet again," he said, crouching down to her level "And it was pretty sweet..."

"E.N.D.! Stop playing around with these lowly humans. We've got business to attend to," Zeref said, sounding oddly like an impatient parent.

E.N.D. looked up so him with an irritated expression but got to his feet and joined his brother with the rest of Tartaros in the middle of the room.

"We'll be seeing you, Fairy Tail," E.N.D. said in an almost mocking tone but then the smile dropped and he glared at them with hatred "and then I'll kill _every_... _last_... _one_ of you..."

Zeref held his hand skyward with his palm up and his middle and index fingers extended. A black Magic Circle appeared below their feet and a secondary one appeared above them. Powerless, Fairy Tail watched as the emotionless face of E.N.D. - of Natsu - disappeared with the members of Tartaros.

* * *

 **I'm actually pretty proud of this prologue. It's longer than I usually do them, basically a chapter, but it still works the way I need it to.**

 **The scene where Natsu steals Lisanna's first kiss was inspired by the one in Rave Master when Lucia stole Elie's.**


	2. Chapter 1: Demonification

**I'm still reading the Tartaros Arc but I've reached past the point this turns into an AU at. I'm pretty sure I've got enough information to start this story now.**

 **Also, the Fanfiction people should really change the character listings of Natsu and E.N.D. to the following:**

 **Natsu D./E.N.D.**

 **Ever since that fan-theory was confirmed to be true.**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 1:

Demonification

 _...5 months later..._

* * *

 _I, Lisanna Strauss, am writing this as my last will and testimony as I run for my life from the Demons of Zeref's Books. My final wish is that we find a way to free Natsu from his evil power and that you'll help him comprehend the traumatic memories of once being such a creature. He may be Lord E.N.D. but he's still our friend and he deserves us not to give up on him. And to my dear siblings, I write, that I love you both deeply and I feel so lucky at having had you as family as I_

It stopped mid-sentence as Lisanna tripped over debris from Cardia Cathedral, the scarf E.N.D. had discarded flapping around her neck. Her pencil skidded away from her and she sat up. She reached for it when a boot stepped on her hand. Her heart stopped as she looked up to see Neo-Minerva smirking down at her with her hands on her hips. Lisanna looked around and saw that the demons that had been pursuing her had caught up. They bowed and parted as Lord E.N.D. walked over to her.

Jackal and Neo-Minerva held her back as E.N.D. inspected her. He grinned, showing his fangs and gently lifted Lisanna's face to be looking at him. Her deep blue eyes glared at him but the vague glint of love still flickered in them.

"Well... if it isn't my favourite fairy," he purred before moving to whisper into her ear "I've missed you, Lisanna, and your kiss,"

"Shut-up!" she shouted, struggling against the demons "You _stole_ my first kiss, you jack-ass! I was saving it for Natsu and you may have his body _and_ his face but you are _not_ him!"

E.N.D. merely pouted at her as his scolding breath prickled her skin.

"Oh, Lisanna, why are you so content with hurting me so? We've been through so much together... I fought Forest Vulcans for you, we hatched Happy together and I even suffered through two years of believing you were dead. So why? Why do you hurt me with your words?" he asked her.

The mention of their past caught her off-guard but Lisanna looked away as tears ran down her face. E.N.D. gently wiped them away as he cupped her face in his hands and brought her face to his.

"Jackal, Neo-Minerva, release her. I've got this," he ordered.

They did so and Lisanna fell to her knees. E.N.D. still had her face in his hands and he turned her to look at him. He pouted at her and mentally cursed his former life as a mage for causing him to fall in love with her. But, as long as he was in love with her, he'd have some fun. Feeling the love he detested boil up inside of him, E.N.D. brought her closer and kissed her once again. Lisanna shrieked as she clawed at the ground and tried to pull away. She was sick of E.N.D. kissing her whenever they encountered one another but it was starting to ware her down since it was... for all intensive purposes... Natsu kissing her... and E.N.D. knew that.

"Leave us, I have a plan," the Flame Demon said as he licked his lips.

"Yes, Lord E.N.D.," the other demons said before leaving.

Lisanna and E.N.D. were alone in the remains of Cardia Cathedral. The light shown through the gaps in the fallen structure and illuminated select spots. The grin on E.N.D.'s face caused fear to swirl up in the pit of Lisanna's stomach as he stood up and turned from her.

"You know... those years as a Fairy Tail mage and as a son of Igneel... they were some of the happiest in my life," he said, looking up at the sky "It's true... ignorance is bliss..."

"Natsu?" Lisanna whispered, sensing her lost friend.

"It's bliss... because if I'd known of the power I once had, I'd have been pretty fuming!" E.N.D. laughed, turning to her "I really was a dumb-ass, wasn't I? Looking back, it was embarrassing how _stupid_ I was! HA! Oh, man, wish I could forget the whole thing!"

Lisanna glared at him for using such a dirty trick to think her Natsu was still in there. Levy had explained it the best when she said their Natsu Dragneel was "like a drop of white paint in a bucket of E.N.D.'s black paint" and, when mixed, didn't make it much lighter. Trying to retrieve that "drop of white" was next to impossible now the two were "mixed" but to heck with metaphors, Lisanna was going to try.

"Please... you can't do this... you're Natsu Dragneel, the Son of Igneel and a Fairy Tail wizard... you may have erased the guild mark but you're still one of us, Natsu... so, please, don't do this..." she said as tears ran down her face.

E.N.D. looked at her for a moment before grabbing her face and lifting her to her feet. He looked at her with half-closed eyes as the golden glint of his demonic power shown in his eyes. He smiled as he pouted at her, looking over her.

"Is that the best you can do?" he softly asked her "Because that was pathetic..."

E.N.D. suddenly threw her aside and put his foot on her side, leaning on her rib cage. Lisanna gasped and whimpered at the pain as her ribs brushed against her lungs. She looked up at the Flame Demon and he grinned at her.

"As long as I have these lingering feelings for you... I might as well have some fun. Heh, the hurt in your eyes when I attack you or your friends is priceless. The betrayal, the anger... and the heartbreak. I just love it..." E.N.D. said, leaning over with his foot still bouncing against her rib cage "You wanna be my new toy? It's not like you get a choice in the matter,"

He dug his heel in and her rib cracked as he rolled her onto her back. Lisanna held her side as she tried to sit up but E.N.D. grabbed her hair and pushed her against the ground. He smiled down at her with his face only a few inches above hers. He licked his lips...

"This is going to be fun..." he purred into her ear and a shiver ran up her spine.

The two were encased by his golden-black flames and disappeared from their spot in the Cardia Cathedral ruins.

* * *

"Where are we?" Lisanna asked as her eyes readjusted.

E.N.D. pulled her along by a rope made of blue fire that was looped around her wrist. Around her neck was the scale-patterned scarf Igneel had given to Natsu but was discarded by E.N.D. after his awakening. She treasured it as the last thing of Natsu that was left and she wore it as much as he had.

"Oh... this was my base during my initial life as E.N.D. and now it's Tartaros' new guild hall," he said "Welcome to Demon's Layer, Lisanna, or, as its also known as, E.N.D.'s Castle,"

The place was built out of brimstone with candles burning in alcoves in the walls and bowls of fire burned atop pillars leading up to the grandious front door. A chandelier burned brightly from the ceiling and the crackle of fire surrounded them. It was a marvel of architecture but the fact it was E.N.D.'s was unnerving. E.N.D. suddenly pulled her into his arms and firmly placed his hands on her hips.

"You're so... beautiful... when the fire... illuminates your..." he whispered to her but couldn't help but kiss her.

Before, he'd kiss her to spite her because of her feelings for Natsu but now... it was like actually being kissed by Natsu. She tried to keep herself stiff but the sweet sensation of Natsu's lips to hers... she found herself melting against him. Her hands rested on his shoulders before hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck. Her jaw trembled as the guilt washed over her. Lisanna put her hands on his shoulders and tried to push away but he held her to him and put his hand on the back of her head. She stiffened but his hand on her back made her arch against him. Finally, he let her go...

"I knew you wanted to," E.N.D. laughed as she stumbled back.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Lisanna asked him as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Come now..." he pulled her back to his side "Don't be like that... you know you like it,"

She wrinkled her nose and tried to push away from him but E.N.D. laughed. However, her struggling was becoming annoying. Lisanna gave him a punch to the face and as his head whipped round, she pushed herself out of his embrace. He laughed as he rubbed his jaw and turned to her.

"Nice hit, Lisanna! I didn't know you could throw a punch," E.N.D. chuckled with a grin on his face "This is going to be fun,"

He cracked his knuckles and encased his hands in golden-black flames. Before she could run, he grabbed her wrist to stop her and took her face in his hands. His Demonic Fire hurt her without burning her and all of the strength in her body seemed to disappear. E.N.D. caught her as she collapsed and his energy-draining flames went out. Lisanna rested against his shoulder as he turned his head to kiss her temple.

"There, my dear, you'll be less trouble now," he said.

"You... demon..." she gasped as he lifted her over his shoulder.

"I know I am," E.N.D. said, grinning as he carried her through the high-ceiling hallways.

The end of Natsu's scarf fell in Lisanna's face as she was carried. It still had the reminiscent sent of ash that always lingered around the Fire Dragon Slayer. One day, she promised, one day she'd return the scarf to Natsu Dragneel himself and not E.N.D.

"Nat...su," she murmured.

"The name... is E.N.D.," he said "And you will learn to be mine..."

He carried her down a flight of stairs and held his flaming fist up to light the way down. As they descended, Lisanna heard the sound of muffled voices that got louder as they neared the bottom. She recognized them as the voices of Lamy, Seilah, Kyouka and Jackal.

* * *

The demons waited for their master in Demon's Layer's rebirth lab known as Devil's Heart. Lamy sat on the steps to a regeneration chamber as she swung her legs. The others were waiting patiently for E.N.D. to return.

"What's taking that pink-haired hunk so _looooong_?" whined Lamy "It's not like that girl is even that pretty! When I'm done, she'll be reborn as ugly as a horse's-"

"Shut-it, ya brat. You know Lord E.N.D. is unfortunately in love with her. Do you really want to anger the strongest demon in existence?" Jackal responded.

Lamy pouted and crossed her arms. She didn't like their Lord E.N.D. being in love with someone, let alone a _human_. She didn't like it one bit! E.N.D. then entered with the weakened Lisanna over his shoulder. The demons jumped to their feet and bowed to him.

"Is the rebirth pod ready, Lamy?" E.N.D. asked the bunny-eared girl.

"Oh, yes, Lord E.N.D., but why would you want this _thing_ demonified?" Lamy asked.

E.N.D. responded by grabbing her neck and throwing her to the ground.

"Her name's Lisanna and if I must have these lingering feelings for her, I could at least rebirth her as a formidable demon," he explained "Get her ready to be demonified and burn that stupid scarf. I never want to see it again,"

And so, Lisanna's clothes were removed and she was placed into a rebirth pod to become a demon. The power was cranked up so the demonification process would speed up and the entire capsule was nearly filled with bubble froth, concealing her. E.N.D. looked up at her as her short white hair floated around her face. Her eyes were gently closed and her mouth hung open ever-so slightly. Lamy wasn't pleased so attempted to alter her appearance but was, again, thrown across the room by E.N.D.

"Your only job is to make sure she survives!" he yelled at her "No changes are to be made to her physical appearance unless _I_ say so. Got it? Or do I have to beat you so hard you'll have to be reborn again?!"

"N-No, Lord E.N.D., I understand, L-Lord E.N.D., I'll ensure her survival and I won't change how she looks unless you authorize it!" Lamy cried, bowing on her knees to him.

E.N.D. put his boot on top of her head and pushed her to the ground. He folded his arms as he looked down at her with no emotion on his face before grinning.

"Good..." he said and removed his boot from her head.

Lamy lifted her bruise face from the ground with tears brimming her eyes. E.N.D. turned from her with the corner of his black cape brushing over her face as if she was nothing.

"My brother will be arriving soon and I want _no_ problems, is that clear?" he ordered.

"Yes, Lord E.N.D.," said Kyouka as she and Seilah bowed to him.

Jackal gave a curt nod as he leaned against an unused rebirth pod. The scarf that Natsu once owned lay discarded at the foot of Lisanna's rebirth pod where Lamy had neglected to burn it as E.N.D. had ordered and for that, Lisanna was grateful. Despite being unmoving in the rebirth pod, she was mentally screaming at the pain as her human body was altered into that of a demon's. All she could do was hope that the Freedom Fighters would find her before the demonification was complete.


	3. Chapter 2: Renegade

**Thank you all for the A-MA-ZING reviews! A lot of you said you were glad to see a _good_ NaLi story with E.N.D. and that just made me feel so happy! To be honest, I too was disappointed with the quality of the Natsu-going-E.N.D. stories.**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 2:

Renegade

 _...Later that day..._

* * *

The Freedom Fighters searched the rubble for Lisanna when she failed to return to camp. She'd gone on a reconnaissance mission earlier that morning which should have only taken her an hour or two but that was six _hours_ ago! They could only assume she'd been captured by Tartaros or worse... E.N.D. himself with his twisted love for her. Things were a lot harder since Face wiped out all the magic in Fiore and a lot of non-wizard folk discovered, much to their dismay, how much they relied on magical items themselves. Luckily, Tartaros seemed to be sticking to their side of the continent so most villages, towns and cities had evacuated to the capital.

"See anything?" Erza asked, her hand on her sword's hilt.

"Nothing," Gray called back from the top of the rubble heap.

"Darn... where are you, Lisanna? Tell me _they_ didn't get you?" the scarlet-haired woman asked herself.

All of the remaining forces in their part of the country had joined together so there wasn't really a Fairy Tail or Sabertooth or Lamia Scale or even a Blue Pegasus anymore. They had all united to become something referred to as the "Freedom Fighters". It had only been 5 months since E.N.D. was awoken from within Natsu yet he'd struck fear into the world's hearts quickly.

"Magic may not be present but my nose is still strong," Gajeel said after returning to the group "The place _reeks_ of demons and one in particular... E.N.D., he was definitely here and so was Lisanna,"

"You don't think... that E.N.D. would..." Wendy stammered.

"No, E.N.D. wouldn't kill her. Natsu's love for her seeped through, remember? He's probably taken her somewhere," Erza said "C'mon, we should get back to camp,"

No one was looking forward to telling Elfman and Mirajane that their baby sister had been kidnapped by a Flame Demon. At least they couldn't use their terrifying amount of magic anymore. Either way, it was not a conversation they were looking forward to...

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Mirajane yelled before hitting the table "DARN IT ALL TO HECK AND BACK! I shouldn't have let her go on that reconnaissance mission this morning... not with E.N.D.'s demonic crush on her..."

Over the past 5 months, Mira had reverted back to her previous badass self and even pulled her hair up into a high ponytail like she did before. She wasn't the only one to have changed in both appearance and personality. Juvia had her shoulder-blade length hair in a French braid down her neck and, although she still loved him, she didn't obsess over Gray as much (which oddly peeked his interest in her). Erza's hair was pulled up into a ponytail also and she'd cut it to a more reasonable length (something that distraughted Jellal as he'd always loved her long scarlet hair). Lucy had kept a handle on her hair and kept it cut to her shoulders and out of her face, she was also more ruthless when battling than before since she could no longer summon her Celestial Spirits (not even Plue). Wendy had chopped her hair short on an impulse but it was later neatened out by Levy to be a cute bob cut. Levy herself had her unkept hair as it was before Tartaros since she already wore it in such a way to keep it out of her face.

As for personalities, people were a lot less concerned with their personal problems and focused on stopping Tartaros. Many of them had accepted the fact the only way to save the world was to kill E.N.D., which would kill Natsu. However, some still believed he could be saved. They were looking into both options...

"Mira, calm down," Erza said, keeping a level-head.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, ERZA! MY BABY SISTER'S IN THE HANDS OF SOME PINK-HAIRED FLAME DEMON AND YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?!" the white-haired woman yelled.

She tried to lunge forward to attack her scarlet-haired comrade but was immediately restrained by the efforts of Sting and Hibiki (who were looking for something to do). Lector and Pantherlily grabbed Mira's ankles and held her back also. Thanks to Face, the Exceeds could no longer fly with Aera but they retained their ability to talk because it wasn't a form of magic. They couldn't do much as simple talking cats but they sure as heck tried.

"We'll get Lisanna _back,_ that I promise. The problem is that we don't know where the Demons of Zeref's Books are based since they abandoned the Cube," Erza said "And with the Dragon Slayers' sense of smell weakened by Face, we can't track them,"

Mira pulled herself free and sulked off. The problem of tracking the demons was becoming a more serious issue by the day. They really needed a solution but couldn't come up with one that didn't involve magic. Luckily, Levy was looking into all of their magic deprivation problems but it was taking a while since, well, she couldn't use her Gale-Force Reading Glasses anymore.

* * *

Gray "patrolled" the underground survival camp with Lyon as they made sure anyone who couldn't escape to the capital was safe. Being stuck underground was no picnic for anybody and there was no guarantee that E.N.D. and Tartaros wouldn't find them. E.N.D. still seemed to have Natsu's sense of smell despite the lack of magic but it was chalked up to his curse power.

"It's... unbelievable, really," said Lyon as he observed a mother as she fed her starving children "that Natsu could be the cause of all this... sure, he was a destructive moron but he always cared about people's well-being,"

"The Natsu we knew is gone. E.N.D. did this so don't lump them together," Gray said.

The former Ice-Make mages continued on their route around the camp. As they went, Gray couldn't help but think back to his father. Silver had become powerless when Face activated and the other members of Tartaros killed him for being the traitor they always knew he was.

"Hmm... you think he can be saved?" Lyon asked "I mean, he's an ally of Deli-"

"Will you shut-up, Lyon? I don't know if Natsu can be saved but we have to do whatever it takes to save this world from E.N.D.," Gray snapped "Even if it means sacrificing our friend..."

They continued on patrol when Elfman came stampeding into them. The three Freedom Fighters hit the ground before Elfman jumped back to his feet and continued on his way. Lyon and Gray looked at each other before chasing after him.

"Hey, Elfman? What's up, buddy?" Gray asked as they ran beside him.

"Lisanna's been captured by E.N.D. and I'm gonna go track her down," Elfman said "You with me?"

"Sure but I'm guessing Erza hasn't approved this little operation?" Lyon said "Let's get some other guys,"

Elfman was resistant to waiting but knew they'd need more help. Together, they gathered Sting (for his tracking talent), Juvia (she was surprisingly stealthy), Yukino (since she was a pretty good fighter even without magic) and Mirajane for obvious reasons. Lector also tagged along to stay with Sting and they figured he could fit through cramped spaces for them. Rogue, Frosch and Lucy agreed to cover for them for as long as they could. If Erza found out about their little rescue mission before it was complete or if it failed, they'd be dead meat.

* * *

Sting picked up the sent of demons and singled out Lisanna and E.N.D.'s amongst them. However, their sent led to where Lisanna disappeared and there was no sent of them leaving. They figured E.N.D. had teleported them both away. The best they could do was follow the demons' sent and hope they went to the same place.

"So... What d'ya think E.N.D. wanted Lisanna for?" Juvia asked "I know Natsu was in love with her, that was obvious, but what about E.N.D.? Does he still have lingering feelings for her?"

"If he hurt a single hair on her head... I'm gonna pummel him!" Elfman interjected.

They took a step away from the Strauss siblings as they radiated furious anger towards E.N.D. for what he'd done. They'd probably pummel him even if Lisanna was perfectly fine but then he'd retaliate and take them all out. Sting's nose led them along the abandoned Magnolia train tracks and into the mountains.

"I asked Levy for what she has on where they could be and she said that during his original life as E.N.D., he had a fortress known as Demon's Layer but it disappeared when he was sealed away by Igneel," said Juvia, brushing some of her hair behind her ear "And, apparently, it could change locations so she didn't know where to find it if that's even where Tartaros is,"

Sting stopped at the foot of the mountain trail and he sniffed around. If only he could use his White Dragon Slayer Magic, then his sense of smell would be able to locate them in minutes. It didn't help that the wind was changing where the sent floated.

"Dang it... I've lost the sent," he complained "This sucks, I want my magic back..."

Yukino giggled at his childish nature and patted his unkept blonde hair. She proceeded to climb a tree and looked up the mountain through a pair of binoculars. Peeking out from the far side of the mountain was, what looked like, a black turret.

"I think I see it. Should we go back and tell Erza?" Yukino asked, looking back down at them.

"No! If the castle moves then we don't have the time! Besides, the walk back will take 20 minutes..." Elfman exclaimed.

Yukino slid down the tree and they headed up the path in the direction she'd seen Demon's Layer. Within 10 minutes, they could all see the castle peeking out from around a ridge. Deciding it was time to approach with stealth and caution, they moved through the thicket as silently as they could as they neared the castle's grandiose front door.

"So... how are we gonna get in and rescue Lisanna?" Lector asked from where he sat on Sting's head.

* * *

"Oh... you pathetic humans... do you really think you can sneak up on E.N.D.'s Castle?" the Flame Demon cackled as he watched them on the lacrima screen.

E.N.D. sat back on his velvet throne with a satisfied grin and put his elbows against the armrests with his fingers together. His brother would be arriving soon and having a demonified Lisanna and some prisoners would be good for a laugh. He knew Kyouka would enjoy having more torture victims. Heck, maybe he'd experiment and see if an Exceed could be demonified!

" _Heeeeeeellllllllooooooooo_ , you devilishly handsome man!" Lamy coo'd as she skipped into the hall.

"How's Lisanna doing?" E.N.D. asked "Was the modification to her appearance successful?"

"Oh, yes, you evil hunk! Your little girly-friend now has an adorable pair of little horns on her head," Lamy said, tired of dealing with the white-haired beauty "Can't I distort that cute little face of hers? Just a little? I'd give her a flat hollow nose or - ooh! I could-"

E.N.D. pulled the bunny-eared girl off the ground by her ear and threw her down the steps to the floor. He then jumped down to her and landed a powerful kick on the ground next to her head.

"Shut the heck up!" E.N.D. shouted "I should just discontinue your production! No more Lamy demons, it's not like anyone will miss ya!"

Jackal snickered where he leaned against the brimstone wall with Torafusa and Ezel. They wouldn't mind seeing the end of Lamy either. Neither did Kyouka and Seilah as Lamy _always_ neglected to monitor them when they regenerated.

"N-No... L-Lord E.N.D., I wanna... I wanna live!" Lamy cried as she crawled into a bow "I promise not to change what Lisanna looks like unless you want me to... just... just don't end my line..."

E.N.D. grinned and got to his feet before pulling Lamy to her feet.

"Good... now try to speed up her demonification to 15% again," he ordered "I'd like her ready to be reborn when our... guests... arrive,"

Lamy bowed and scurried off to do as she was told. The other demons present laughed and Jackal approached their master.

"You're as ruthless as ever, Lord E.N.D.," he said, laughing.

"You're dead right about that, Jackal. Now... set up some explosions for the approaching Freedom Fighters," E.N.D. ordered before turning to leave the room "This... is gonna be fun,"

* * *

 **The importance of the girls' hairstyles is that they're taking things seriously so they don't have time to worry about their hair. As long as its out of the way, they're good.**

 **I hope this didn't disappoint! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3: A Fight for Freedom

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 3:

A Fight for Freedom

 _...09:30 p.m. (9 hours since Lisanna's demonification started)..._

* * *

Lisanna wasn't sure how she was breathing despite being submerged in the demonification liquid. The throth bubbles tickled her skin as they floated past her and the ends of her short white hair brushed against her face. She didn't have the strength to open her eyes but she was pretty sure she didn't want to. The tentacles of that demonifing beast slithered under Lisanna's skin and caused her to mentally whither in pain. She wanted to scream and thrash around and break the glass but her body felt like it was not hers to control. She could barely cringe when Lamy alerted her appearance to give her two small brown horns on the sides of her head. That was so painful that Lisanna wished she could scream just to release her pain and anguish.

"She's almost ready, you flaming hottie," Lamy said as E.N.D. looked up at the rebirth pod "Are you pleased with my work? It normally takes a couple of days but I managed to rebirth her as a demon within mere hours. We're just lucky no one had to regenerate today!"

Lisanna weakly managed to open her eyes a tiny bit and saw E.N.D. looking up at her. A light blush dusted over her otherwise pale face as she closed her eyes again.

 _"Natsu, E.N.D., E.N.D., Natsu... I don't care anymore... just as long as that boy loves me,"_ she thought _"What am I saying? E.N.D.'s... he's... pretty hot, actually... and so powerful..."_

She weakly managed to open her eyes again and saw E.N.D. grinning at her.

"I know you can hear me, Lisanna. I just wanted to tell you that your demonification is nearly complete..." he said but his smile turned sadistic "And your friends are here... Elfman, Mirajane, Sting, Yukino, Lyon, Gray and Juvia as well as that Exceed, Lector. Wouldn't you like to get out and greet them? Pity you can't, we still have to give you a Curse and the one I've been working on for you... What a doozey,"

E.N.D. changed some settings on the rebirth pod and pain shot through her like a white-hot iron. Her muscles contracted on their own and she threw herself back and forth as she trembled. Had she not already been submerged, she would have noticed the tears that came from her eyes. E.N.D. reached out and put his hand on the pod.

"Don't you worry, Lisanna, it'll be over soon..." he told her with a hint of genuine concern for her well-being.

Lisanna looked down at him as a deep violet washed into her once dark blue eyes.

 _"Lord E.N.D.,"_ she thought _"My... love..."_

* * *

The foreboding feeling started as soon as they entered Demon's Layer. The eery glow of the burning candles unsettled them further as they headed through the corridors in search of Lisanna. Pushing their fear aside, they worked their way through the castle until they reached the Grand Hall.

"Okay... does anyone even know where we're going?" Gray asked "Because we need a better game plan than 'wander aimlessly',"

Sting sniffed around but the overwhelming smell of fire and brimstone covered any trace of Lisanna. When they heard talking, the Freedom Fighters climbed to the top of the pillars to hide.

"You think she'll make a decent demon?" Jackal asked.

"I don't know... but if it's what Lord E.N.D. wants..." Seilah responded.

"Yeah, he gets what he wants and destroys anything in his way... or anyone," Jackal laughed "Oh, man, it's just like the good ol' days when we used to destroy a city in an afternoon!"

"Indeed, the writing of our story has continued at long last," Seilah agreed "But we still have a problem..."

"Yeah..." the two demons stopped at the foot of the pillars "the fact we have an infestation of _humans_ in here!" Jackal yelled.

They immediately kicked the pillars down and the Freedom Fighters fell to the ground. Anyone could tell a fight was about to start and so the humans drew their unique weapons. Elfman had silver knuckles, Mirajane was gifted with a dagger, Juvia utilized a chain with a blade at its end, Lyon and Gray both used retractable spears, Yukino relied on a pair of escrima sticks and Sting... he just hit demons over the head with a pipe. Jackal grinned before backflipping over to them, making definite contact with the floor and punched Mirajane in the face, making her explode. Elfman ran at him but the floor where he'd touched it exploded beneath them, leaving only the demons unscathed.

As Juvia flew through the air, she threw her bladed-chain at Jackal but he bent back and gracefully dodged the blow. Seilah then jumped and kicked the former Water Mage to the ground, cracking the brimstone floor. Gray swung his spear at her but the female demon took controlled of his attack and sent it at Lyon.

"Dang it..." he hissed "Quit controlling me!"

"Why would I do that, Son of Silver?" Seilah asked, making him attack Lyon once again.

Mirajane ran at Jackal with her dagger but the moment the tip of her blade touched him, there was another explosion.

"Stupid, humans!" Jackal laughed "Did you forget that anything I touch I can turn into a bomb?!"

Sting came up from behind and hit the explosive demon in the head with his pipe. Jackal grabbed the pipe as he fell and pushed Sting in the face as he set up the combustion. Sting was thrown back when he caught a whiff of Lisanna. He made eye contact with the Strauss siblings and nodded to them.

"Go! We've got this!" Lyon said as he fought off a controlled Gray.

"GAAH! This sucks!" Gray yelled "Someone stop me!"

Lector hopped onto Sting's shoulder as the blonde boy sniffed down the missing girl. Elfman, Mirajane and Yukino followed behind him as they ran through the castle's corridors. They headed down multiple staircases until they were deep underground.

* * *

"I may not be allowed to change how you look... but I can change how - GAAH!" Lamy didn't get to finish her evil monologue because Yukino used an escrima stick to knock her out.

Elfman then smashed through the rebirth pod and landed hard on the ground. Mirajane jumped threw with a blanket in her arms and wrapped it around her sister as she tackled her out of the demonification liquid. When they hit the floor, she tucked the blanket around her and grabbed a random scrap of material (that was actually Natsu's scarf) and tied it around Lisanna's waist to keep the tucked blanket closed around her like a make-shift wrap dress.

"Lisanna!" Mirajane cried and she saw the little horns on the side of her head "LISANNA!" and she hugged her.

Yukino took off her jacket and put it over Lisanna's shoulders. Lisanna's demonified appearance made her skin marble-white with black markings spread across her like poison ivy vines. Her lips were a deep dark red and her eyes a gold-dusted black. Lisanna's eyes fluttered open momentarily to reveal they were an enchanting violet now.

"Lisanna! You're going to be okay, we're here now!" Mirajane cried "C'mon, let's go!"

Elfman scooped Lisanna up in his arms and they ran out of Devil's Heart and back through Demon's Layer.

"DON'T! Lord E.N.D. will destroy me if I lose that little brat!" Lamy yelled.

The Freedom Fighters ran through Demon's Layer and regrouped with those who were fighting Jackal and Seilah. What was odd was that they didn't pursue them. It could only be assumed there was already a plan to thwart them before they escaped with Lisanna.

* * *

Upon being released from the rebirth chamber, she had felt her mobility return but she still didn't have the strength to move. She licked the back of her teeth and discovered her fangs had grown like Natsu's. Lisanna's nose twitched as she regained sensation in her face. Her eyes flickered open and she gasped as reality came back to her.

"Don't worry, Lisanna, we'll get you outta here!" Elfman panted as they ran.

She screamed and flailed in his arms.

"Lisanna! Don't worry! It's us! Your brother and sister!" Mirajane exclaimed.

Lisanna suddenly punched Elfman right in the face and kicked Mirajane in the head as she freed herself from her brother's grip. She fell to the ground and stammered to the wall to support herself. The Freedom Fighters looked at her as it dawned on them... She'd been corrupted by Curse power.

"I know who you are! So stay away from me!" Lisanna shouted "Stupid humans... I don't need any siblings, all I need is - E.N.D.!"

She ran back up the corridor and threw herself into E.N.D.'s awaiting arms.

"As you can see, Lisanna's quite happy here so you can all leave her be," he said with one arm around her waist.

"Lisanna..." Mirajane croaked as she broke down "We were too late..."

A long violet-scaled tail slipped out from Lisanna's covering and coiled around E.N.D.'s leg to keep him close. She gripped his arm when he took her into his arms and lifted her hands up with his.

"Why not demonstrate your new Creature Whisper Curse?" he whispered into her ear.

Lisanna grinned, showing her fangs and violet light cracked along the skin of her arms before jumping down like a spider's web to the floor.

" _Creature Whisper: Brimstone Panthers_ ," she said.

The floor cracked and broke apart to form two panthers made of brimstone with cracks of purple light running across them. They growled as a purple smoke escaped them. Lisanna smiled with E.N.D. grinning behind her.

"Now, my pets, _hunt!"_ she commanded, happily.

"Lisanna... no..." Mirajane croaked as tears ran down her face.

"Time to go, sis!" Elfman yelled and he pulled her along as they ran.

The Brimstone Panthers chased after them and E.N.D. happily turned Lisanna around in his arms so she'd be facing him. She happily wrapped her arms around his neck and the two demons kissed one another as her tail unwrapped from around his leg and began swaying to show her content.

"Now, my sweet Lisanna, I think it's time you get some actual clothes on," E.N.D. whispered against her lips "C'mon, the female demons have something for you,"

Lisanna grinned and kissed him again before scampering off to find something to wear.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters ran through the forest despite having already lost the Brimstone Panthers. Tears flew from Mirajane's eyes as the thought of losing her sister again tormented her. Elfman rammed through anything in their path as they went down the mountain. By the time they returned to camp, Erza was already fuming.

"WHERE HAVE YOU LOT BEEN?!" the scarlet-haired woman yelled.

"We... we went to save Lisanna..." Gray stammered.

"AND HOW'D THAT WORK OUT FOR YA?!" Erza continued to yell.

Mirajane fell to her knees with her hand over her mouth as if she was going to vomit. She stared at the ground as tears filled her eyes. Her friends got to their knees beside her as she tried to come up with the words.

"We... we were too late..." Mira stammered "LISANNA'S ALREADY BEEN TURNED INTO A DEMON!"

Everyone dropped what they were doing to stare in shock at the white-haired woman as she broke down into tears. Elfman comforted her in his arms and wished he'd been "man enough" to stay and fight for his little sister. Erza had a particular look of fear on her face, one that hadn't been seen since the Tower of Heaven incident.


	5. Chapter 4: Demon Maiden, Lisanna

**This story's only current ganre is "adventure" but I'm wondering, what would you say is the second ganre of "E.N.D. Rises"? Hurt/comfort? Family? Friendship? Romance?**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 4:

Demon Maiden, Lisanna

 _...Later that night, midnight..._

* * *

Lisanna donned a black cloak with a gold lining with the Tartaros emblem in gold on the back. Underneath, she wore a black elbow-length blouse with folded up cuffs and a red waistcoat closed around her slim figure by two gold buttons with the Tartaros emblem on the right side of the waist in black. She wore a black ruffled miniskirt with violet petticoats underneath. Rolled up her legs were black-and-red striped stockings with black knee-high wedge-heeled boots. Between the bottom of her skirt and the top of her left stocking, her guild mark location was visible with her white Fairy Tail mark having turned into a violet Tartaros mark.

In E.N.D.'s opinion, she looked as hot as Hades itself.

The Flame Demon sat back on his throne with the new female demon sitting on his lap with her legs over the armrests. Her violet eyes were shut as she rested her head against his shoulder. Being demonified was a long and painful process so she was understandably tired. E.N.D. smiled down at her with that innocent smile on her face as she napped in his embrace.

"Lord E.N.D.!" Ezel exclaimed as he ran into the Grand Hall.

"What is it, Ezel?" E.N.D. asked as he got to his feet, using only one arm to hold Lisanna in the position she was already in.

"Your brother... Lord Zeref... he's returned with Mard Geer, my Lord," Ezel informed him before taking his place in the line of demons.

E.N.D. gently shook Lisanna awake and she got out of his arms. She stood with dignity next to the throne as E.N.D. sat back down with his fingers gripping the armrests. The grandiose 10-foot door suddenly burst open with Zeref striding in and Mard Geer in tow.

"Brother, it's good to see you," E.N.D. said with a grin as the doors slammed shut.

"You too, E.N.D., I see you've demonified Lisanna, good for you," Zeref said "Oh, my journey was long and tiresome, even for an immortal being... We'll talk about it later but Mard Geer will tell you the general idea of what happened,"

Zeref then walked out of the room with every one of his demons bowing down to him. Mard Geer stood in the middle of the Grand Hall as he awaited permission to speak.

"Well, Mard Geer? What do you have to say?" E.N.D. asked.

"Well... I... it was..."

"Spit it out! Don't keep my love waiting!" Lisanna yelled.

"Easy, now, Lisanna. Let the man talk," E.N.D. gently reprimanded her.

Mard Geer swallowed before falling to the ground in a bow to his master.

"Lord E.N.D., please forgive my stutter but the operation was indeed successful," he said before rising to his feet "Those pathetic humans won't be able to protect themselves from _this_ ,"

E.N.D. grinned and let out an echoing cackle at all the destruction to ensue once it was regenerated. Guess he had to keep that Lamy girl around for it but that was a small penalty for the power they'd gain. The other demons smiled at the thought and dispersed for the night. Lisanna, on the other hand, was both fatigued from demonification and energized by the rush of her Creature Whisper Curse. When they were alone, she approached E.N.D. and put his hands on her hips.

"Look at you... taking over the world one devastating conquest at a time," she said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Look at you... demonification becomes you, my sweet Lisanna," he said as he ran his hands up her sides and led her arms around his shoulders before pulling her a step closer to him.

The white-haired beauty flicked her hair back before gently placing her lips over his. E.N.D. smiled into the kiss and tilted his head accordingly before wrapping his arms around her waist. Now he had power, an army and a woman to share it with. Lisanna pulled back and shook her hair out of her face before seductively looking at him.

"And to think... we wasted all that time as humans," she complained.

"Indeed," E.N.D. agreed "But now, as demons, we have eternity to make-up for it,"

Lisanna grinned, showing her sharpened teeth and kissed the Flame Demon once more. Her arms tightened around his neck as she closed any gap between them. She pulled back again and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing with peace.

"Neo-Lisanna," E.N.D. suddenly said "How 'bout we change your name to Neo-Lisanna to mark your new life as a demon?"

Lisanna lifted her head and looked at him with half-closed eyes. She nodded before her head fell on his shoulder again. He couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she was when sleepy. Just like when they were kids and hatching Happy- wait... why was he thinking of that? His past as a Fairy Tail Wizard didn't matter. He only wanted Lisanna because of some lingering feelings for her...

"C'mon, beautiful, time you slept off your demonification," E.N.D. said and he picked her up in his arms.

Usually the male and female demons remained in two different parts of Demon's Layer during the night unless they were working on something _big._ So, it was unusual that E.N.D. should be in the females' corridors when everyone was going to sleep. He lay Lisanna on her four-poster bed and drew the curtains. With that done, he walked straight back out and headed up to Demon's Layer's roof.

* * *

Zeref looked out across the desolate wasteland that was once the lush countryside that surrounded Magnolia. He stood at the top of the castle's tallest tower with the wind blowing his silky black hair against his face. The trapdoor to the tower's roof opened and E.N.D. came out before slamming the door shut again.

"So, how'd it go?" E.N.D. asked his older brother.

"Successful..." Zeref said "We uncovered all of the wood shards and decayed dust so we can now resurrect them,"

"Nice... having those two back will be really fun," the Flame Demon roared with excitement.

Zeref chuckled at his brother's continuous immaturity and pushed his head down. They leaned against the tower's stone railing and looked up at the moon. They both smiled the same smile and they both smirked the same smirk.

"Soon... humanity will understand our true power, little brother," Zeref said.

"Oh, yeah, this is gonna be fun," E.N.D. said, grinning up at him.

Zeref sadly smiled back and noticed that no matter how ruthless or merciless his little brother acted, deep down he always had a core of immaturity. It was a trait that had stayed with him over his four different lifetimes. A sign that, deep down, no matter how evil, the little kid Natsu Dragneel once was... was still in him.

"This world will be yours, Natsu, you'll never be weak like you once were ever again... nothing will be able to kill you..." Zeref said as he began to cry (like always) and covered his mouth with his hand to subdue his sobs.

E.N.D. just rolled his eyes before putting his older brother into a headlock.

"Come now, Big Brother Zef, ya really think I'm that same scrawny kid that died of some disease just 'cause?" he asked.

"You don't even remember your first life, Natsu," his brother pointed out, smiling through his tears.

"Eh, who cares about all the 'fundamental years of our lives' and 'cognitive development' and all that stuff that happens during the first four years of life?" E.N.D. asked, brushing it off.

Zeref smiled at him before returning the favour and putting him in a headlock also. They laughed for a moment before heading back inside as they... well... had a big day tomorrow. Tartaros had something big in the works for sure...

* * *

That morning, Lisanna opened her violet eyes and sat up on the bed covers. The room was a regal deep red with pin-thick black patterns adorning the wallpaper and dark wooden wall paneling. There was a grand wardrobe with stain-glass windows featuring roses in the doors and golden hinges, a matching make-up table stood next to the window with a gleaming oval mirror that had roses carved into the frame. The bed had ivy vines carved into the four-posts and the red curtains had golden tassels.

"Where... am I?" Lisanna asked herself as she sat on the edge of the bed "Oh, I fell asleep in my love's arms... He must have put me here for the night,"

"Indeed, he did," said Kyouka as she entered the room "Good morning, Lady Lisanna. Lord E.N.D. asked me to help you figure out how things work within Tartaros. What do you wish to do first, milady?"

Lisanna inspected her clothing and got to her feet to check herself over.

"Could do with a change of clothes," she said "I wouldn't want my love to see me looking so disgruntled,"

Kyouka nodded and went over to the wardrobe. She pulled it open to reveal it was filled with different demonic outfits that were all her style inside.

"There's a private bath through that door," she said, gesturing to the door behind her.

Lisanna thanked her before Kyouka left to let her prepare for a good... deep... soak in the steaming water.

* * *

The private bath was made of marble with pinkish cracks going through it. There was a note by the door that read:

 _I know how you enjoy a good long bath so I altered Demon's Layer to include this private bath for you so you wouldn't have to share the basement baths with the other female demons. We're lucky Demon's Layer exists outside of space so remodelling is pretty easy (that's also the reason it seems bigger on the inside than on the outside). Enjoy!_ _\- E.N.D._

Lisanna grinned and looked around the marvellous room with its glass dome ceiling. She couldn't believe it was all for her.

"I guess this is one of the perks of being Lord E.N.D.'s love," she said as she slipped into the warm water.

The heat sent a shiver up her spine as she sat on the bottom of the pool. The frothy bubbles went up to her neck and she let out a sigh of pure bliss as she lay back. It didn't hurt that there was rose incense burning in golden bowls by the marble waterfall that filtered the bath water. Lisanna turned around and took the jar to pour some water over her head to wet her hair.

"To think... if I hadn't become Neo-Lisanna... this luxury would be someone else's..." she said as she kicked some water.

After a long deep soak in the warm rose-sented water, Lisanna got up and wrapped a white silk robe around herself. She rubbed a soft towel over her hair as she re-entered her room. She could get used to such treatment... On her bed was an outfit all ready for her that stuck to the black-red-gold-violet colour scheme. It was a red vest underneath a black t-shirt with rips across it to show the underneath, a violet denim miniskirt, black leather fingerless gloves, a pair of black-and-yellow stockings and a pair of knee-high combat-boots. On the outfit was a note from Kyouka saying:

 _I hope this attire pleases you, Lady Lisanna. -Kyouka_

Lisanna grinned before drying off and brushing her hair. She put on the outfit but added the black-and-gold cloak from the day before. Seeing herself in the mirror, she swung her violet tail and grinned. Now she just had to see E.N.D.!

* * *

"So, everything's set for us to begin their regeneration?" E.N.D. asked his older brother.

"Yes," Zeref responded.

The Dragneel brothers spoke of their plans as they walked the narrow corridors of Demon's Layer. E.N.D. hadn't slept that night due to their plans and Zeref, as an immortal, didn't have to sleep much and often did so by accident. With the lanterns burning low, the Flame Demon of the two raised his hand and the flames grew to light the mostly windowless castle. When the flames grew, E.N.D. caught sight of his love's shadow as she hid round a corner.

"Lisanna, come, meet my brother," he called to her.

Lisanna cautiously stepped out and approached the centuries-old pair of brothers. She removed her hood and she bowed to the Black Wizard. Her pale face flushed as her heart rate increased.

"Big Brother Zef, this is Neo-Lisanna, my lady-love whom I have lingering feelings for from my life as a human. Lisanna, this is my older brother, Zeref Dragneel," E.N.D. introduced them as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"It's a pleasure to formally meet the ex-human who stole my brother's black heart," Zeref said, stretching out his hand "I know you'll make a great addition to Tartaros,"

"Th-Thank you... L-Lord Zeref," she stammered before taking his hand "If... I might ask... are you a member of Tartaros?"

Zeref smiled his sad smile and chuckled slightly.

"No, not officially. Tartaros is something E.N.D. established to keep an eye on all my demons for me. I wasn't too sure of the idea but Little Brother proved me wrong... as always. I'm sure you've noticed how determined and/or stubborn he can be," Zeref explained before turning to address E.N.D. himself "I'll see you when the regeneration is ready to begin,"

E.N.D. waved his brother off as the Black Wizard left them for the basement where everything was going down. Lisanna looked at the Flame Demon to ask if she'd done okay but the moment she turned her head to him, he kissed her gently on the lips. The surprise caused her violet tail to stick straight out before she relaxed into the kiss. They pulled apart with their arms around one another and grinned, showing off their fangs.

"Hungry? We've got raw meat and goat's blood in the kitchen," E.N.D. suggested.

"Raw meat and goat's blood?" Lisanna asked "Before, I would have puked at the thought but now... it actually sounds pretty good,"

"Welcome to the dietary needs of a demon," her love responded, goofily grinning at her "And you'll need all the strength you can for the plan my brother and I have cooked up,"

Lisanna smiled and held his hand as E.N.D. showed her the way to the kitchen. She happily cuddled up to him and tripped Lamy up as they passed in the hall. Like the other members of Tartaros, Lisanna had inherited the others dislike for Lamy. E.N.D. explained Lamy was only created to run maintenance for the other Demons of Zeref's Books during regeneration, which was the only reason they kept her around. He also admitted she once had a "twin brother" called Ramy who obsessed over the female demons and neglected the male (the complete opposite of Lamy) who was discontinued years ago. What Lisanna couldn't wait for was this "plan" E.N.D. and Zeref kept mentioning and couldn't wait to be a part of it.

* * *

 **Here's something... Why didn't the members of Tartaros recognize Natsu as E.N.D.? Zeref did. But I have a theory...**

 **Since Etherious Demons are another species, I don't think they can recognize human faces very well. I think they tell humans apart by their magical presence so without the power of E.N.D., they couldn't recognize him. Plus, it has been 400 years since they last saw him so their memories of what he looks like are probably foggy. Anyway, I think that's why they didn't recognize Natsu as the guy they were trying to revive. That or E.N.D. and Natsu just look TOTALLY different...**


	6. Chapter 5: Counterattack Preparation

**If anyone reading this is an artist on DeviantArt then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE draw me an image of Neo-Lisanna! Or of E.N.D. and Neo-Lisanna! But PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE draw me a picture! That would be totally EPIC!**

 **If you want to, tell me your DeviantArt username and I'll check out your work. It would just be AWESOME if someone would draw me a picture!**

 **Thanks! Have a cookie...**

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 **If you're wondering, my account is AutisticGirl117 but I only have a bunch of poorly drawn images of Carrie Krueger from The Amazing World of Gumball.**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 5:

Counterattack Preparation

* * *

Erza looked out at the sunrise from her room in the top of a crumbling building. Somehow, she'd become the leader of the Freedom Fighters so she had to hide her weaknesses even more than before. But, there was one person who she could collapse into a ball of tears around... her fiancé.

"Erza... are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Jellal. What are you doing here?" Erza asked, turning to look at the blue-haired man.

Jellal sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at the golden engagement ring with the gleaming diamond set into it. They watched the jewel catch the light of the rising Sun. Jellal stroked her scarlet hair away and kissed her temple.

"It's me, Erza, you can talk to me," he said, threading his fingers with hers "Come on... don't make me tickle it out of you,"

Erza groaned and buried her face into his neck.

"It's... just the pressure... I feel like... like everything's on me..." she said and wrapped her arms around him "I love you, Jellal... thanks for being here,"

"Hey, I doubt the government will bother capturing me during these dire times..." Jellal said, kissing the top of her head "So, I might as well stick around as a Freedom Fighter and help save Natsu... or take down E.N.D.,"

Tears pricked at Erza's chocolate brown eyes and she rubbed them away on his shoulder. He put his arms around her and held her so that she could feel at-peace for just a moment. It wasn't fair to put all that pressure on her but he hoped she'd get the chance to just be Erza again some day.

"ERZA! ERZA!" Jet shouted as he and Droy stumbled up the stairs "EMERGENCY, ER-"

They stopped and stared at the sight of the fearless leader being held and comforted. Erza wiped her eyes and got to her feet.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Uhh... we got a carrier pigeon from the coast," Jet said, handing the letter to her "Zeref and Mard Geer were seen returning to Fiore with two large things hidden under tarps. Our scouts out there didn't get a look at what they were but it has to be big for both Zeref _and_ Mard Geer to be sent to retrieve them,"

Erza scanned over the report before scrunching up the letter and throwing it aside. She looked at her sword that rested against the wall in the corner and pulled the blade from the scabbard. The simple blade glowed in the light of the rising Sun.

"Tell everyone to prepare for battle and send word to all of our exterior branches. We need their reports on demon activity now rather than next month. I need to use them to triangulate Tartaros' general position," she ordered "And tell the survivors to prepare to move. Let's try and get them to Crocus *before crud hits the fan..."

Jet and Droy obeyed and left to carry out their orders. Jellal stood up and put his hand on Erza's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head before going out to spread the word.

* * *

Levy sat in the poorly lit room as she looked over ancient text after ancient text. Her job was to find a way to stop E.N.D. (by any means). She'd already read several retellings of the day E.N.D. was sealed away by Igneel and multiple myths of how he came to be. Levy's hazel eyes ached from the poor lighting and staring at parchment after parchment. Gajeel stepped up behind her and began rubbing her narrow shoulders with his stiff hands. She sighed and leaned back with her tired eyes closing.

"This is impossible... this says E.N.D. has existed since the beginning of time itself, this says he was created to counter Zeref but this one says he was created _by_ Zeref. Not to mention the circumstances of how he was sealed! This says Igneel dropped him into lava and petrified him, this says they fought and Igneel sealed him when he was about to lose and this one says... I don't even _know_ what this one's about!" Levy exclaimed in frustration as she pulled her messy hair back "GAAH! I need more materials to work with... I can't figure out what's fact and what's fiction..."

Gajeel leaned down and gave her a surprisingly soft kiss on the top of her head.

"You'll get it, shrimp. Use that big beautiful brain of yours and find a way to either destroy E.N.D. or free Natsu..." he said into her blue locks "preferably both,"

Levy rubbed her eyes. She was sure if her Gale-Force Reading Glasses still worked, she'd have figured it out by now. She couldn't see the patterns or the hidden text now so her literary skills were for naught. The room they were in was a part of the underground cavern they inhabited. It was just a small alcove in the wall that they closed with a curtain as a door. The room was mostly taken up by the round table that Levy worked at with only a lantern on the wall for light and, occasionally, a second one on the table. The floor was litered with her notes and incorrect theories on how to beat E.N.D. that hadn't been swept away since they started piling up.

"Gajeel? Ya think you could get me some brain food? I'm wiped..." Levy asked, leaning back in her chair.

"You got it, shrimp," Gajeel said as he headed out "Beef sandwich? I know you like a good meat sandwich despite your petite size,"

"How, exactly, do you know me so well?" she asked.

They smiled at each other before he left through the curtain. Levy looked back down at the paper and began turning it this way and that. If only she had her glasses... Gajeel soon returned with a steaming hot meat sandwich that she enjoyed as she scribbled things down in many different languages and many different ways. Freed would be helping her but he was with the rest of the Thunder Legion, who were on a long-distance reconnaissance mission with Laxus. Levy chowed down on her sandwich in one hand and was scribbling notes down with the other...

* * *

Juvia watched Gray as he worked on his spear-handling technique. Her eyes slowly began to close as she began to fantasize about him. It didn't hurt that he was training with his shirt off...

"Mhmm... cold-hearted and hot-blooded... don't make them like him anymore," Juvia said, biting her bottom lip "Yup... Gray's an attractive young man..."

"You... realize I can hear you, right?" Gray asked as he headed for his shirt that was folded beside her.

Juvia passed it to him and he pulled it on but neglected to do up the buttons. His revealed 6-pack glistened from the sweat of his work-out.

"My, my... aren't you sweaty..." she said, looking at him seductively.

Gray smiled at her.

"You know... you've been a lot less obsessed over me since E.N.D. awoke," he said, sitting down next to her "Now that I don't have to keep stonewalling your overzealous attempts to get me to fall for you, I can finally see a little deeper into you. I already knew you were a strong mage and a beautiful young woman but now I can see how funny and intelligent you are. You're also brave and kind-hearted and just an all-around passionate person,"

Juvia looked at him with a little grin on her face. Hearing him complement her like that felt so good and it warmed her heart. Gray leaned back on one hand and he ran his fingers through his hair with the other.

"Why... thank you, beloved," she said.

"You know... I think the only reason you act so crazy is because you don't know how to handle your feelings so they just burst out of you. But, you're also a very passionate person so you can't stand by when something's wrong," Gray continued and smiled at her "You just want everyone to be happy,"

They smiled at each other. Juvia was kneeling next to him but leaned back on one hand to have her legs tucked in beside her. A blush appeared on their faces as the hands they were supporting themselves on slid closer together so that their fingertips touched. It was embarrassing but... in a good way. However, before anything could happen, Lyon appeared.

"Juvi! How I've searched for you!" he said, completely ignorant to Gray's presence "Erza has sent out the word to prepare for attack as Zeref has been spotted returning to Fiore with Mard Geer,"

Juvia and Gray did _not_ look impressed with his interruption but Lyon remained oblivious to it. After saying what he came to say, he stuck around despite the unamuzed glares of his rival and crush. Seeing as Lyon couldn't take a hint, Gray decided to straight-up say something.

"'Kay, _bye,"_ he said in the most obviously-annoyed tone he could muster.

Lyon blinked at him as if only just noticing his company before turning around and leaving, still oblivious to the trouble he'd caused. Gray and Juvia turned to look at each other and resumed their romantic moment together.

"So... uh... What were we doing?" the former Ice-Make Mage asked as a deep blush dusted his cheeks.

"I think... we were..." Juvia thought as if to tease him "about to train for the attack!"

Gray smiled at her and picked up his spear. She took her bladed-chain from her belt and they stood opposite to each other. They both grinned and engaged the other in combat.

* * *

"Ow..." said Sting as Yukino dabbed a cotton swab at his head.

During their escape from Demon's Layer, the former Dragon Slayer had received some cuts and bruises. Those Brimstone Panthers were tougher than he thought and he found out the hard way.

"Don't move unless you want disinfectant in your eye," Yukino said and she dabbed at the gash "You're lucky to have survived a hit to the temple,"

Sting pouted like a child as she proceeded to put a pad over his wound and tied a bandage around his head. His already disheveled blonde hair was messed up even more by the bandage and he continued to pout. He hissed as Yukino proceeded to clean out the cut running down his left arm with the disinfectant-soaked cotton swab.

"Don't be such a baby, Sting," she said "You've survived worse than this and been unharmed,"

"Yeah but disinfectant - _ow!_ \- stings..." he said, looking at her for sympathy with his big puppy-dog eyes.

"Just like your name," Yukino said and kissed the top of his head.

She tightly wrapped a bandage going from above his elbow and down to his wrist. It felt constricting to tense his arm up but with that wound, it wasn't a good idea to anyway. Sting wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. She smiled down at him with a rosy blush on her face before looking around frantically.

"N-No! We can't, Sting, you're Sabertooth's guild master and I'm... we can't date anymore," Yukino said, flustered.

"Yukino... we're all Freedom Fighters now, not guild mages, and I care about you a whole lot so... why can't we be together?" Sting asked her as she sat down beside him.

"It's just... I... it's that... I don't know... I'm useless," she sighed.

"Hey! You are _not_ useless! You're amazing and intelligent and beautiful. You even know how to bandage me up," the blonde boy said before resting his head on her shoulder "I just... wish you were comfortable with people knowing about our relationship,"

Yukino smiled down at him and wrapped her arms around him as they cuddled up together.

"I want people to know... I really do..." she said "I want to scream it from the rooftops but... I'm always afraid of how people will react... that's why you're the only one who knows the real me,"

Sting leaned up and kissed the top of her bluish-white hair. They smiled at each other for a moment before hugging to show their reconciliation. Yukino often tried to break things off with him but the fact she didn't really want to always meant they stayed together.

"I hope you'll be comfortable showing your true self to everyone else someday..." Sting said "Because the You that I see is pretty amazing,"

Yukino smiled at him and kissed his forehead before taking his hands and pulling him to his feet. She took hold of his hand and showed him her goofy grin.

"C'mon, Erza's put out the word for an attack so we should get ready," she said.

Sting smiled at her and followed behind her with Yukino still holding his hand. He smiled at their joined hands and ignored the looks other Freedom Fighters gave them as they entered the main cavern area.

* * *

 ***Before crud hits the fan... I didn't realize just how much I loved that line until now!**

 **This was basically me showcasing a handful of shippings that I support. Here's the deal with them...**

 **Due to the danger Tartaros posed, Jellal decided to purpose just to reveal his true feelings for Erza in the event one of them died. Erza reciprocated.**

 **Gajeel and Levy's antagonistic behaviour towards each other evolved from "reluctantly" doing things for each other to happily aiding one another. They're basically an unofficial couple who haven't gone out on a first date yet.**

 **As previously stated, Juvia stopped obsessing over Gray as much because of E.N.D.'s revival. In a way, she stepped back and it allowed Gray to get a better look at what kind of a person she is. This caused Gray to start falling for her.**

 **Sting and Yukino were already dating in secret before Tartaros took over.**


	7. Chapter 6: Recruitment of a Third Party

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 6:

Recruitment of a Third Party

* * *

Lisanna felt like she was walking on clouds at the amazing morning she'd had. What with the tranquil private bath, the new clothes and the delicious breakfast (who knew raw meat and goat's blood was so tasty). At the request of E.N.D., she was heading down to Devil's Heart because the Flame Demon was finally going to announce his and Zeref's big plan. Lisanna pushed the door to the rebirth lab open and stepped in to see the ornate wooden door at the end was wide open with tubes of the revival liquid going through it. Mass-produced Lamies were running about as they worked at... whatever it was Lamy did.

Lisanna stepped through the doorway only to enter a round stone hall with a fifty-foot ceiling. There were two massive regeneration pods surrounded by the ethernano of the R-System. Inside the pod on the left was a dust cloud of ash and in the one on the right were thousands of wood shards.

"What the heck is this?" Lisanna asked herself when she saw her love with his brother "E.N.D.!"

She ran to him and he embraced her.

"Feel that power?" he asked her as he gazed up at the regeneration pods "It would give me goosebumps if I were human,"

"What is it, dearest?" Lisanna asked him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

E.N.D. smiled, his sharp fangs gleaming and he licked his lips. His eyes turned red as he thought of the impending carnage.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it... all will be revealed soon... but, for now, just know that it's going to be big..." he said, his sadistic smile growing.

"I like it when you get all sociopathic..." Lisanna purred into his ear.

E.N.D. looked at her with a look of bloodlust in his eyes. He took hold of her by her shoulders and pressed his lips to hers. Lisanna felt his twisted grin and smiled into the kiss. E.N.D. then released his grip on her and strode off with anticipation practically radiating from him. Zeref grazed past her as he followed his brother and dropped a small oval object with a chain hanging from it into her hand. She watched as the Black Wizard joined his brother and the two of them walked off to deal with some things. Lisanna looked down at what Zeref had slipped into her hand and saw a golden oval locket with an engraving that looked like a rose bush on the lid. She turned it over only to see strange hieroglyphs on the back like the ones Levy studied. She looked up at Zeref and the 400-year-old man met eyes with her. A shiver ran down Lisanna's spine and through her tail. Cautiously, she put the necklace into her skirt pocket and Zeref nodded approvingly before looking back at the plan his brother had laid out on the table.

* * *

It wasn't until that afternoon did E.N.D. and Zeref reveal their plan. The members of Tartaros stood in the stone hall, facing their Guild Master with their creator standing just to the right of him and Mard Geer to the left. While Zeref had the same melancholy look on his face, E.N.D. was grinning ear-to-ear with the golden glint in his red eyes emphasizing his _need_ to get started. The "original" Lamy joined them in their line-up as her doppelgangers continued working on the regeneration.

"You've all probably realized by now that Mard Geer, my brother and I have had something in the works for a few months now. Right now, we're finally going to show you!" E.N.D. said "Mard Geer..."

Following the command of his name, Mard Geer used his Curse to pull back two large tarps from over the massive regeneration pods. The demons, with the exception of Lisanna, gasped at the sight. Those two had been defeated years ago, one by E.N.D. while he was still a Fairy Tail Wizard! Sadistic grins spread across their faces as they realized the plan for themselves...

"Presenting the revived Deliora and Lullaby!" E.N.D. announced.

The monstrosities floated like unborn children in the regeneration pods as the decayed ashes of Deliora were renewed into living tissue and the shards of Lullaby's wood came together again. Lisanna hadn't been in Earthland for the events concerning these two but Natsu had filled her in on all the awesome stuff she missed about a week after her return. Deliora was the Ice Demon that had destroyed Gray's hometown and killed everyone he cared about, including his Ice-Make Master; Ur. Lullaby was a cross between a Wood Demon and a magical item with the power of Cursed Song.

"You're bringing these guys back?" Jackal asked "Alright! But, you don't bring _these_ two back at once unless you're planning an attack. What's the target?

"Quite astute, Jackal," said E.N.D., an evil grin on his face "However, there's still one more being we need to recruit before I disclose that information,"

The members of Tartaros began whispering to themselves about who was the next recruit. Was it a human to be demonified like Neo-Lisanna? Or another demon that needed to be revived? Or even a whole other evil power? It had to be big for it to be recruited for a plan that required the revival of Deliora and Lullaby. Although those two weren't the most elite of the Demons of Zeref's Books, no one could deny their unimaginable raw power.

* * *

Jackal, Seilah, Kyouka, Neo-Lisanna and Mard Geer were chosen to accompany E.N.D. and Zeref on their short journey to recruit the third component of their big plan. Zeref teleported them to the opening of a dark and damp cave at the peak of Fiore's second tallest mountain. The cold air whistled out of the cave entrance and the cloud cover below really made them think about how high they were. E.N.D. encased his fist in Demonic Fire and led the way into the cave. Lisanna stuck relatively close to him as the creepiness got to her. Eventually they came to a stop further in where they couldn't see the light of the entrance...

A man covered in blue markings sat on a boulder with a mane of blue hair cascading down his back. He was shirtless with only a cloak around his shoulders for cover. A lantern sat at the foot of the rock with its dismal glow illuminating his dark skin.

"It's been a long time, Lord E.N.D., sorry about the whole Tenrou Island thing..." the man said and he grinned to show his sharp teeth.

"I'm over that. Those seven years were nothing compared to the 400 Igneel forced me to endure," E.N.D. said "You look well... Acnologia,"

The Tartaros demons gasped and stepped back. Acnologia? Seriously? This guy was him? They remembered the Black Dragon from their initial attempt on the world and even they found it difficult to fight the thing.

"Huh..." Acnologia huffed, turning slightly away from them "What do you want, E.N.D.? Zeref?"

"It's quite simple really... have a look at this," E.N.D. suggested.

The former Dragon turned to see an orange Fire Dragon Slayer flame burning in the Flame Demon's hand. But that was impossible since Face wiped out all magic in Fiore. E.N.D. grinned as he knew he'd peaked Acnologia's interest.

"Do you want your Black Dragon Slayer Magic back? Hm, Dragon King?" he asked "Because we have a means to use magic and all you have to do to get your hands on it is join us..."

"H-How? How is... it possible?" Acnologia stammered as he stared mesmerized by the flame.

E.N.D. clenched his fist to put out the flame and his sadistic grin widened.

"Like I said, Acnologia," he said "All you have to do... is join us in humanity's destruction,"

The former Dragon stared dumbfounded at the presence of magic in Fiore. If he joined them, then he'd regain his Dragon Slayer Magic and he'd be able to transform into a dragon once more. Besides, destroying humanity had been on his bucket list for the past 400 years. Acnologia got to his feet and stepped up to them.

"Deal but I don't do anything for you until I get my magic back," he said, holding his hand out.

E.N.D. shook hands with him and turned to his brother.

"C'mon, Zeref, we've got a Dragon King to restore," he said, grinning sadistically.

Zeref nodded and the group of evil beings were teleported away, back to Demon's Layer.

* * *

When they returned, they were in the Grand Hall. E.N.D. stepped forward and revealed a secret passageway hidden behind the throne he often sat on. The Flame Demon lit the torches that hung on the walls as he led them down into the dark tunnel. Feeling unnerved, Lisanna took his arm and held on tight. A wind came whistling past them and sent a shiver up her spine. The other demons were completely indifferent about their creepy surroundings but she'd been born human and so was scared of the things that went bump in the night (while the demons _were_ the things that went bump in the night). The last two torches lit to reveal an old door sealed by a metal bar laying across it. E.N.D. lifted the heavy bar out of the way and pushed the door open.

"Don't let the door close, it might lock us in and I'd rather not have to break it down again," he warned.

Glowing suspended above the floor was one gigantic lacrima! It hung from the walls in a black harness as light blue energy flowed into it from vents in the walls. Bolts of magic shot out around them as it absorbed more and more.

"Ever since Face wiped out all the magic, Fiore has been trying to re-absorb it from the surrounding area but we don't want those pathetic Freedom Fighters regaining their power so we've been hoarding it," E.N.D. explained, carefully placing his hand on the lacrima "And it's through an Organic-Link that I can cipher its power to fuel my Fire Dragon Slayer Magic,"

The markings of an Organic-Link appeared on his skin as he took in more magical energy just for the sake of it.

"So... it's through an Organic-Link you can restore my power?" Acnologia asked.

"Pretty much... all you have to do is put your hand on the lacrima and I'll Link you to it," E.N.D. said, grinning as his hand slipped into the glowing blue sphere.

Acnologia stepped forward and put his hand to the lacrima. His hand began to slip through until his arm was locked inside up to his elbow. E.N.D. pushed his own hand in more before activating an Organic-Link between the lacrima and Acnologia. The marks of an Organic-Link spread across the former Dragon's skin as it bonded with him. The markings suddenly disappeared and Acnologia ripped his arm out of the massive lacrima. He felt the magic power flood through his system as his dormant Black Dragon Slayer Magic awoke within him. A twisted grin spread across his face and he looked up at E.N.D.

"So... what was this about destroying humanity?" he asked.

"Quite simple... with you, Deliora and Lullaby on our side..." the Flame Demon smiled, barring his fangs "We're invading Crocus..."

* * *

 **I still severely want someone to draw up some fan art for me. If none of you are fan-artists then ask around your networks of fanfiction nerds! Or am I the only one who has systematically created an underground network of nerds? I am? Oh...**

 **Anyway, enjoy! Please review.**


	8. Chapter 7: To Crocus we Journey

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 7:

To Crocus we Journey

 _...Early the next morning..._

* * *

The journey to Crocus from Magnolia was a perilous one. E.N.D. had scorched the land of any tree cover and evaporated the water sources. If they ran out of supplies, they wouldn't be able to scavenge any. To add to it, the sun would beat down on the back of their necks all day and the wind would freeze them at night. However, there was one way to get to Crocus without crossing this desert of death and that was the underground tunnel system running beneath it. And it was through these tunnels that Erza intended to lead the refugees through.

"Erza... are we sure this is the best way?" Jellal asked "If we went round the mountain, it would be safer,"

"True but going round the mountain takes longer and we don't have any time to waste," she said, holding the hilt of her sword on her belt "We should hurry anyway... the faster we get there, the safer these civilians will be,"

Jellal looked back at the long line of refugees as they followed them. All around the innocent civilians, Freedom Fighters were staged as a protective barrier between them and the Demons of Zeref's Books. Normally only a handful of Freedom Fighters were required to accompany an evacuation but, since so many refugees were being moved, next to all of them were helping.

Erza internally feared what was about to happen. Why had Zeref left Fiore with Mard Geer? What was it they brought back? Whatever it was, it had to be big so she _needed_ all innocent people out of the crosshairs of what was surely to come. With Zeref and E.N.D. reunited, she was pretty sure a repeat of their original reign of terror was about to ensue. Like most people, Erza had heard the stories of the horrors that occurred 400 years ago...

 _Countries destroyed..._

 _Cities fallen into ruin..._

 _Entire cultures wiped from the face of the planet..._

 _...and armies incinerated at the hands of E.N.D._

She refused to let the world go through that again. Even if it meant killing her old friend... So far, there hadn't been fatalities since evacuation and evasion was the game they were mostly playing but facing Tartaros head-on? Erza feared for the lives that would be lost...

* * *

 _...Demon's Layer..._

Zeref looked up at the regenerating Deliora and Lullaby. They were two of his earlier creations when he first started creating the Demons of his Books. They weren't elegant, they had little intelligence and they possessed nothing but the drive to destroy. The two demons still held unimaginable power, though. E.N.D. stepped forward and folded his arms.

"You aren't reminiscing again, are you?" he asked "'Cause we don't have time for that. How long until they've been completely revived?"

"I'd give 'em another day or two, assuming no one else has to be regenerated," Zeref said "Then it'll take about three days to reach Crocus with them and about an hour to fell the city,"

"Good 'cause I want to drive all of humanity into a corner and once we're done with Fiore... we'll move on to the rest of Earthland!" E.N.D. declared, happily grinning "Just like the old days when we burned a city to the ground just for fun! HA!"

Zeref looked at his brother and sadly smiled at him. In his mind, the old days referred to before Natsu died back when they were just "those strange Dragneel brothers that lived at the edge of town". Those were the good old days... back when they were just two brothers with an odd fascination for magic.

"Hey... Zeref? Quit daydreaming! We've got good guys to crush!" E.N.D. said, snapping his brother out of it.

"Yes... sorry, I... uh... memories," Zeref softly said and he put his hand to his forehead "I'll be in my chambers..."

The Black Wizard headed away and looked down at his arm where the Organic-Link that fuelled his power appeared. Without it, he'd be powerless and he wouldn't lose his power until he'd ensured his brother's future.

Zeref headed through Demon's Layer and up a spiral staircase to his turret room. He looked through an old rotted chest with rusted hinges and took out a lacrima image of a drawing that had long-since decayed. He was just thankful that restoring magic to the lacrima had restored the image. After all, it was the last thing he had of the good old days... with their parents.

Tora Dragneel, a woman with silky pale pink hair cascading down her back and small narrow green eyes framed by thick black eyelashes. She had a plump baby face with rosy cheeks in contrast to her pale skin and naturally pink lips. Their mother... she was 22 when she had Zeref and 25 when Natsu was born...

Kyo Dragneel, a man with rugged black hair jutting out at all angles and rounded soot-black eyes. He had defined features with a strong jaw line and a 5 o'clock shadow. He had a kind smile and deeply tanned skin. Their father... he was 23 when Zeref was born and 26 when Natsu was...

Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel... they never got to see their younger son alive again.

"Mama... Papa..." Zeref whispered as he gently put his fingers to their image "I'll keep Natsu safe, I promise. No one will ever hurt him, he'll never be weak like before! I promise... that he'll be so powerful that he'll _never_ die again!"

His once green eyes glowed their current evil red and he put the lacrima image back into the 400-year-old chest.

* * *

Sitting on the back of a wagon, Levy looked over a book about magical/historical events that took place 400 years ago. Oddly, there was no mention of E.N.D. or Zeref or Tartaros. She sat among the barrels of food supplies and blankets as she continued in her research to find an answer to their "E.N.D. problem". Gajeel walked alongside the wagon as it was steered through the underground tunnels.

"The change of scenery helping?" he asked the bluenette.

"Hm... I have less of a migraine..." Levy said as she turned the book upside down "The problem is with old volumes like these, no copy is the same. I might need a certain issue or more than one or - GAAH! I want my magic ba-"

She suddenly froze and looked down at the book in her hands. She grabbed a mirror (which was supposed to be for signalling) and held it above the page to see the text's reflected image. Gajeel saw the stunned look on her face and gently reached out to her.

"Hey, Shrimp? What's going on? You decipher something?" he asked.

Levy ripped out the used pages from her notebook and took her time decrypting the message.

"We need to get to Crocus ASAP!" she said "The key to defeating Tartaros is in the palace library!"

She jumped off the wagon and ran to the front to tell Erza. Curious, Gajeel looked at the note she'd made before running off. There were symbols scribbled down with lines connecting them to actual letters with the letters translated into words underneath.

 _A great evil laid waste to Mildia for thirteen years from X391 to X404. A dark time in our people's history, it's true beginning has been stricken from the record. However, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. And for the sake of who they once were, I have encoded the true story of the Killing Mage, Zeref, and his strongest demon, E.N.D., in the Book of True Fiore. Read and learn from the mistakes of Mildia so that Fiore may avoid our fate..._

"What the heck does that mean?" Gajeel asked himself "What mistake did Mildia make that led to their destruction?"

That thirteen year period began 400 years ago exactly. Was it the initial reign of destruction the Demons of Zeref's Books had inflicted on the world? He didn't know but Levy sure seemed to have an idea. Perhaps going back to the beginning of Zeref and E.N.D. would hold the answer to how to defeat them. The Book of True Fiore was an ancient text that contained the history of Fiore and was in the possession of the royal family. Maybe it held the truth...

* * *

 **Here's the question you should be asking... who left that message in the book?**


	9. Chapter 8: Unstable

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 8:

Unstable

* * *

His past was a mystery, even to himself. Only Zeref knew the full story on how he was resurrected. All he knew was that he had died at a young age and his big brother brought him back to life as Etherious Natsu Dragneel.

E.N.D. sat at the desk in his chambers as he thought of his earliest memories. Waking up in the R-System was definitely something but... there was nothing before that. The Flame Demon snickered to himself as he turned around on the stool and leaned back against the desk.

"All I need to know is that I was weak before and now I'm strong... and I'll remain strong with the world cowering at my feet," E.N.D. told himself with a grin.

A pain suddenly shot through his abdomen and he fell to the floor with his arm wrapped around his torso. He snickered as he heard his captive roar.

"Ah, ah, ah. You're not getting out," he said "Think of it as a lesson that you should have killed me when you had the chance... and you shouldn't have abandoned me when I was 10-"

E.N.D. found himself shocked that he was thinking back to his third life. He didn't care that he'd been abandoned anymore... or did he? The Flame Demon growled to himself and cursed any lingering emotions he had from before.

"I will kill every single First and Third Generation Dragon Slayer and then I'll kill those pathetic Second Generation Dragon Slayers just to be thorough... I might even get those God Slayers while I'm at it," he said, laughing.

E.N.D. hissed through his teeth as he reached for a burning torch and he consumed the flames for strength. He reinforced the internal prison he'd locked his captive in and got to his feet. Falling onto his bed, the Flame Demon closed his red eyes and remembered his childhood. E.N.D. smiled at the fact he was artificially infused with multiple forms of magic and his internal magic container (or "IMC" for short) was forcibly expanded to accept so much power. Then by the age of 14, he created the curses that Zeref's Demons used today.

* * *

Lisanna practiced her Creature Whisper Curse and created Concrete Parakeets that were purched on her fingers. She was definitely bored. But her boredom was short-lived as E.N.D. came up from behind and embraced her. The Concrete Parakeets smashed on the ground as he turned Lisanna in his arms and kissed her. She melted against him before pulling away.

"So... when's the attack start because I'm bored..." she complained.

"Don't worry, my sweet Lisanna, Deliora and Lullaby will be revived within a day or so and then it'll only take a few days to reach Crocus," E.N.D. explained to her.

"Why don't you just move Demon's Layer closer?" Lisanna asked, pouting.

He took her by the shoulders and pushed her to the wall. He smiled at her as he leaned his fist above her.

"Because..." E.N.D. whispered to her as he leaned towards her lips "I want to make humanity squirm as they await the arrival of their destruction..."

He gently kissed her and Lisanna lost herself in the kiss. She leaned back against the wall and groaned in disappointment as he pulled away too soon. The Flame Demon placed both of his hands next to her head and leaned towards her again. A light blush flooded into Lisanna's pale cheeks as she grew excited for the next kiss. But inches from her lips, E.N.D. changed direction and kissed her forehead instead.

"Oh! E.N.D.!" she complained "Don't play coy with me, my love,"

He grinned, flashing his sharp fangs at her before he teasingly kissed the back of her hand. Lisanna huffily stamped her foot and crossed her arms with a pout on her face. E.N.D. chuckled to himself, pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger and tilted her head back. She looked up at him with big violet eyes and he placed his lips over hers. Lisanna sighed with relief and wrapped her arms around his neck. This was all she ever wanted, to be kissed and loved by the man before her. But was that man E.N.D. or Natsu?

"Why don't you wear the outfit you first wore after your demonification when we attack Crocus? Your siblings didn't get to see that... you looked hotter than hell," the Flame Demon recommended.

"Okay... if you'd like... I did like it..." Lisanna whispered as their parted lips hovered a breath away from each other "But you'll have to kiss me again..."

E.N.D. grinned and obliged. He put his left hand on her back and felt the curve of her spine as she leaned into him. He really did like the look of her in that first outfit... it really showed off how she had become a demon like him. E.N.D. cupped the side of her face and lost his hand in her smooth white hair. Even if they were defeated, even if they were forced to run, all he needed in this world was Lisanna... demon or not.

Realizing his thoughts betrayed him, E.N.D. put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. She was forced against the wall as he looked down at the brimstone floor. Lisanna looked at him, stunned by the sudden rejection. A dark shadow cast across E.N.D.'s face as his pale pink hair fell in his eyes. He was suddenly in a cold sweat.

"I... only want you... because of... some lingering feelings..." he said, trying to convince himself more than her.

"I know and I don't care as long as you love me in some way," Lisanna gently said.

The air around E.N.D. began to heat up as he breathed through his pointed teeth. He tightened his grip on her shoulders before pushing away and he stalked down the corridor. Lisanna watched him go before turning her back and she headed off to practice her Creature Whisper Curse.

* * *

The heat E.N.D. was radiating was boiling so hot, in fact, that he left charred footprints behind himself as he walked. With his head spinning, he headed back to his chambers to his private bath. He was feeling feverish but couldn't understand why. Demons couldn't get sick like humans so why was he feeling so hot? To add to the impossibility, E.N.D. was a Flame Demon and so high temperatures never bothered him. However, he was radiating enough heat to cause steam the moment he got into the bath water.

"Crud... what's wrong with me?" he asked himself as he leaned back against the sides "First, my little prisoner tries to break free. Then I start feeling something for Lisanna. And now, I feel like before my body had adjusted to my power's burning temperature. What's weakening me?"

He crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes as he took in the sorna he'd turned the bath into. Then a small voice...

 _"Zef? Ze-ef! Zef?"_ it called.

It sounded like when he was a child. But it was unfamiliar at the same time... E.N.D. sat up in the water and put his hand to his forehead. What was that?

 _"There you are, Big Brother Zef! Mama and Papa wanna talk to you!"_

"Mother? Father? I have neither..." the Flame Demon told himself.

He sank further into the water until it was up to his waist while standing. Why did he feel so... empty? It was like when he was with Fairy Tail but then regained his powers and memories; he hadn't realized there was something missing. But that couldn't be! He was on his fourth life! What was missing?

"This is my fourth life, making my time with Fairy Tail and Igneel my third life," E.N.D. said to himself as he tried to recall "My original life as Etherious Natsu Dragneel was my second and my first..."

His first life... the one where he died at the age of 4 from disease... the one where he had a mother and a father... the one where he was _weak!_

"Crud!" he shouted and punched the water "It's my freaking first life that's bothering me... but I know all I need to know about it..."

Sick of the water, E.N.D. got out and was instantly dry. He pulled on his cream-coloured trousers and tucked them into his boots. As he strode back into his room, he did his belt that held the navy-blue wrap around his left side. E.N.D. headed for his chest of old things when he passed the mirror. Shirtless, he could see the full extent of the black markings that ran across his tanned skin. Not to mention the scars from his multiple battles. Noticing the scar on his neck, E.N.D. put his fingers to it and grinned.

"I really was an idiot... dragged myself and the others back in time just to give myself a sc-" he stopped, realizing the happy feelings about that day and he punched the mirror in anger "DARN THOSE FAIRY TAIL WEAKLINGS! Guhh... guess they left a lasting impression on me..."

Pulling his fist back from the shattered mirror, he looked into it to see his broken reflection. His fist dripped boiling hot blood onto the floor as he clenched it. Looking into his own red eyes, he realized the tears running down his face. Disturbed, E.N.D. whipped them away only for his nails to catch his cheek and leave him with an all new scar. The Flame Demon collapsed to his knees as he seethed through his sharp teeth.

"I really am pathetic, aren't I? It's been 400 years since I was myself so of course some of my mind and spirit have been distorted and weakened... don't know why I didn't see it sooner..." he laughed before looking up with his eyes gleaming gold "I need a power boost..."

* * *

Reluctantly, Zeref complied to E.N.D.'s request for a power boost. It was like when he was artificially infused with magic and power back in his second life's childhood. With his wrists and ankles bound and stretched out between two pillars that harnest their stolen magic power, Zeref began the process to artificially strengthen E.N.D.

The Flame Demon screamed as the magic power sparked from the pillars and into his body. He took a deep shaky breath and hissed through his teeth as he buckled down to bare it. His IMC expanded exponentially and the amount of power he was able to handle at one time was expanded. E.N.D. grinned as he pushed through the pain and felt the magic power he was now able to extract from their lacrima increase. His own heart beat drowned out all other sound as that tiny voice died.

"E.N.D.! How you doing?!" Zeref shouted to him in concern.

"Beloved!" Lisanna shrieked in fear.

The members of Tartaros watched in amazement as their leader was strengthened beyond belief. Within a second, the pillars empowering E.N.D. suddenly flew together and the set up was destroyed with a bang. Watching in utter shock, the Demons of Zeref's Books looked on as they saw E.N.D. rise from beneath the wreckage. He was shrouded in shadow with only the glow of golden eyes and the gleam of white fangs standing out in the darkness.

E.N.D. stepped into the light, his clothes tattered and stood up straight. Nearly the entire left side of his torso was covered in the blackness of their kind with lines of it scarring him up to his shoulder and penetrating the skin along his arms. His fangs were sharper and longer while the rest of his teeth remained the same size but sharpened to a point. The Organic-Link between him and their stolen magic appeared and glowed red on his right arm. An essence of black-and-gold radiated off of him and with a smirk, E.N.D. ignited it.

"NOW THIS IS TRUE POWER!" he declared, laughing maniacally.

* * *

 **Please review!**


	10. Chapter 9: Advance Squad

**If you are interested in Zeref and Natsu's lives leading up to Natsu's original death, go read my one-shot "Roots (REWRITTEN)" about their past... so sad.**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 9:

Advance Squad

* * *

Upon hearing of this plausible breakthrough, Erza authorized an advance squad to take Levy to Crocus ahead of them. It consisted of Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Happy, Gajeel and Juvia with Jet and Droy tearfully being left behind. As they waited for Levy to pack the things she needed, Gray and Juvia said goodbye as Wendy and Carla tried to cheer Happy up from his misery. The blue cat had been emotionally destroyed at his best friend's betrayal no matter what they said. He refused to talk anymore, even if it was the one thing separating him from the average cat. Seeing the way the once joyful Happy had become so discouraged, Carla made it a point to stick by his side and never let him be alone. She took his paw in hers and pulled him along with her, ignoring the snarky remarks of Pantherlily and Lector that Frosch ignorantly agreed to.

"Hey, shrimp, we've gotta go," Gajeel said as he approached the bluenette.

"I'm almost ready. I just gotta pack my- GAAH!"

Gajeel lifted Levy off the back of the wagon and held her over his shoulder. She huffily crossed her arms and stubbornly turned her nose away from him. Lucy picked up the bookworm's backpack of deciphering equipment and shlupped it over her shoulder. Wendy followed as the advance squad took an even quicker (but much more dangerous) route to Crocus that included going above ground. Happy began dragging behind and was picked up and held close by Juvia as the blue Exceed began to quietly cry. Carla was picked up by Wendy and looked over at Happy as she was carried in the former Dragon Slayer's arms.

"So... which way are we going?" Lucy asked.

"The underground tunnels are filled with twists and turns that have to be followed in order to reach the other side but we'll be taking a more direct route," Gajeel said, still carrying Levy over his shoulder "But it's a heck of a lot more dangerous,"

Wendy gulped and squeezed Carla in her arms. Why was she on the advance squad? She was useless without her magic and now she couldn't even use a weapon to fight. Besides, she was the one who failed to prevent Face's activation. Juvia looked down at Wendy and she put her hand on the smaller bluenette's shoulder. She gave her a reassuring smile before looking ahead.

"Put me down, Gajeel!" Levy shouted as she resumed kicking and hitting him.

* * *

After walking away from the evacuation for about 10 minutes, the advance squad found an opening to the surface. They clambered up the steep surface before dropping to the ground to look out the narrow opening. It was so hot out there that the horizon was blurred by the rising air. Levy reached into their supply bags and took out a bundle of light clothing to cover their skin from the harmful UV rays. They loosely wrapped the scarfs over their heads, ditched their heavy jackets and replaced them with lighter shawls or ponchos.

"Ready to face the heat? It's a twenty minute hike to the next cave and we don't know if a demon will see up or not," Gajeel warned.

"I'm ready," Levy said, having replaced her headband with a scarf.

Wendy helped Happy and Carla into a less full bag to shield her furry friends from the sun and pulled it onto her back.

"We're ready," she said.

"Me too," said Juvia.

"And me," said Lucy.

The advance squad had to crawl through the narrow cave entrance and were instantly battered down by the heat as soon as they were out. Already exhausted, they stuck to the rock face and worked their way around it. Juvia wished she could retain her water body for just a second to cool off before she was evaporated. Lucy trudged through the sand as it sank underfoot, feeling defeated. Levy had regretted her decision to walk on her own two feet rather than be carried by Gajeel as soon as some burning sand got into her shoes. Somehow, Gajeel remained completely composed as if the heat didn't bother him in the slightest.

"How the heck are you not hot, Gajeel?" Lucy asked.

"I just don't think about it..." he said "So stop being such wimps and get over it,"

"Easy for you to say!" Levy shouted before having a drink from her flask.

* * *

A few minutes later, they came across the entrance to the next underground tunnel. It was a hole in the ground with an old ladder resting against its wall. One-by-one, the advance squad headed down into the dark and were instantly refreshed by the cold air. Lucy picked up a lantern kept by the ladder, used a match to light it and led the way. Carla poked her head out from in Wendy's bag and climbed out with the very unhappy Happy staying behind to wallow in misery.

"Poor Happy," said Juvia "Little guy really misses Natsu, doesn't he?"

"Natsu's gone. Now there's only E.N.D. and if we want any hope of stopping him then we need to decipher the truth from the Book of True Fiore," said Lucy.

"The bag's not soundproof, Lucy! Don't say such heartless things!" Carla yelled at the blonde "I may not have my clairvoyant abilities anymore but I know there's a way to save Natsu! I just... don't know what that way is yet..."

Wendy hugged her Exceed partner as she hoped for the same thing. There had to be a way to free Natsu from himself. Things would be a lot easier if E.N.D. was just possessing him. Levy saw the downcast looks on the younger's face and worry began to brew in her stomach. What if the truth could only be used to kill him? What if there was no way to save Natsu? She held onto the straps of her backpack tightly as the worry plagued her.

"Fairy Tail won't be the same if we can't save Natsu..." Gajeel suddenly spoke up "I never realized it before but he was the heart and soul of the place,"

"Since when did you pay that much attention to things?" Lucy asked.

"Meh... just something I noticed over time, okay?" the former Dragon Slayer defended, indignantly "His destructive but caring nature kinda made him a living embodiment of everything Fairy Tail's supposed to be,"

Things went quiet as they all realized it was true. The Guild wouldn't be _their_ guild unless Natsu was destroying something with Gray or acting silly to entertain everyone. That boy could get anyone to smile in amusement... and now he was a Flame Demon? They couldn't accept it...

"You're right, Carla, there has to be a way to get our Natsu back. We just haven't found it yet," Lucy said and she reached into Wendy's backpack to get out Happy "Happy? You should stop crying and start smiling again. We'll get Natsu back and you'll be his furry little buddy again, okay?"

The blue cat sniffed and nodded before Lucy wiped his tears and held him in her arms. Happy let out a little sad smile but still a smile all the same. It cheered everyone up to see him cheering up and their resolve to save their pink-haired, fire-breathing, destructive friend was renewed.

* * *

After an hour or two of going through the tunnels, it came time to go back to the surface. This was the final stretch to Crocus and the walk would last another two hours. Happy and Carla sat in Wendy's backpack with a flask of water between them. It was no wonder big evacuations went the way they did. This way took them to the surface and went through narrow tunnels that were difficult to navigate. Besides, the final part left them open until they reached the gates of Crocus.

"You ready, Levy? 'Cause you'll be deciphering until you've got the whole story," Gajeel warned her.

"Got it. I'll need three sodas, four meat sandwiches, seventeen pens and four-hundred-and-two pieces of fine crisp pieces of parchment paper," Levy ordered as she hopped onto Gajeel's back for a piggy-back ride.

"You want ice with the drinks and salt with those sandwiches?" he asked her as he shifted her into a more comfortable position.

Juvia looked back as she began to feel like they were being followed. She looked around but saw nothing. However, her feeling persisted.

"What is it, Juvia?" Lucy asked.

The advance squad turned around to see and the feeling of being watched began creeping up on them too. On edge, they steadily turned back around and continued on to Crocus. Juvia kept an eye over her shoulder as the sensation of being watched continued.

* * *

Mavis stood on the sandy dunes as she and her fellow ghosts watched as the advance squad headed for Crocus. If only there was magic, then the Fairy Tail members would have seen her and her two companions. She turned back to face them with a solemn expression.

"You see what they've done and now Fairy Tail is about to discover the truth. You know what will happen when they read the enchanted text," Mavis warned them but they remained silent "Not a word? As usual... you should prepare yourselves, though. You two are about to get mixed up in one big mess..."

The man and woman looked at each other as the wind began to blow. The woman brushed a lock of her long silky hair behind her ear.

"We've been prepared for this for over 400 years, Mavis," she said "No matter how much it hurts... it has to be done,"

The man nodded before putting his arm around his wife's shoulders. Mavis nodded in understanding and the three ghosts continued on their way to Crocus.

* * *

The walls of Crocus stretched up before them as the advance squad neared the gates. They slipped through a hidden entrance since the gates were only allowed to be opened in the event of mass evacuation. The end of the hidden entrance opened out to the basement of the palace, that was being used for the current overcrowding issue.

They pushed the floorboard up and clambered up into the palace. The king and princess were happy to hear the news and Hisui happily showed them the way to the library. Sitting open on a stand was the Book of True Fiore with the contents page showing. Levy steadily flipped the pages to the beginning of Year 391 and she held a mirror above the writing to see the actual story:

 _Long ago, there were once two brothers from the Village of Koruu in the south of Mildia. The younger brother was born early so he was prone to infection and illness but his older brother made sure to protect him. After only a few years of life, the younger brother fell ill once more and this time, he didn't recover. The younger brother left this world only a few years after his birth and it broke the hearts of his family. The brothers' mother refused to eat or sleep until she had to be institutionalized and their father didn't have the strength to continue with farm work so took a job as a delivery man._

 _The older brother was unable to accept his little brother's death and began looking into a way to resurrect him. Those of the Mildian Magic Academy warned him not to pursue this line of research but the older brother couldn't let it go. His home was not a home and his family was not a family without his little brother. And so the older brother researched the taboo subject tirelessly despite the threat of_ _Ankhseram's wrath._

 _At the age of 16, the older brother suffered the consequences of meddling with human life and death. Enraged,_ _Ankhseram placed the Contradictory Curse on him that killed both the students and teachers of the Mildian Magic Academy. The older brother's aging began to steadily cease until he reached the physical age of 21 when he stopped aging all together. Using his new immortality, he continued in his research to find a way to revive his little brother._

 _In the year 391, the older brother enslaved all of Mildia and forced them to construct a giant lacrima tower called the R-System. Upon its completion, the older brother slaughtered 2.7 billion Mildians as sacrifice to resurrect his little brother. His plan succeeded and the younger brother was brought back to life! However, he had no memory of his first life and had been transformed into a demon._

 _And now, in the year 404, a new country is being built on the ruins of Mildia under the guidance of a man named Fiore. The surviving Mildians want to bury the truth of the two brothers but I can't let that be. They wish to paint a picture of misery and destruction for their origin but the truth is that they were merely two brothers whose lives were taken before they could be lived. Mildia could have saved the older brother from his Contradictory Curse but were too short-sighted to._

 _Please forgive the monstrosities Zeref and Natsu commit. They were once good kids. I know because, after all, I was their mother and they were my sons._

The Freedom Fighters stared at the words in shock. The secret message left all those years ago... was left by their mother?!


	11. Chapter 10: The Truth

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 10:

The Truth

* * *

Staring at the text, they couldn't process the fact it was left by Zeref and Natsu's _mother!_ Happy slipped from Lucy's arms and walked over to the Book of True Fiore. Natsu's mother? After a moment, the book began to glow yellow before there was a burst of golden sparks. It happened in only a moment so the fact it occurred was in question.

"Uhh... What was that?" Lucy asked.

"That was us being revealed..."

The group turned around to see two people had materialized behind them. The man had rugged black hair jutting out at all angles and defined features with a strong jaw line and a 5 o'clock shadow. He had a serious look on his tanned face as he looked at them with rounded soot-black eyes. The woman had pointed green eyes framed with thick eyelashes and long silky pale pink hair. She had pale skin with rosy cheeks and seemed sad. They looked oddly like a mix of Natsu and Zeref. Wait...

"My name's Kyo Dragneel. This is my wife, Tora," the man introduced himself and his wife.

"We're the ghosts of Zeref and Natsu's parents," Tora said, wrapping her arms around herself.

The others stared at the ghosts before exploding in shock. After giving them a moment to get the surprise out of their systems, the Dragneels spoke up.

"I died shortly after Igneel sealed away E.N.D. at the age of 83 from old age," Tora explained "I'd been catatonic since Natsu died when I was 29 when I suddenly regained my mind in X404. Seeing how things were, I wrote an encrypted message of how it all really started that summoned forth our spirits when read. It seems the magic was so rudimentary that it didn't get abolished when Face activated,"

"Wh-Why?" Lucy asked.

Kyo and Tora looked at each other before sighing and looking down at the floor. They couldn't believe this was happening to them. What did they do to deserve this? Why couldn't they have had their sons, both healthy, and lived out their lives in the Village of Koruu? It wasn't fair...

"We know how to stop E.N.D. but..." Kyo stopped, unable to bring himself to say it.

"...but it risks Natsu's life," Tora finished for her husband.

The Freedom Fighters stared at the ghost couple.

"Seriously?!" Lucy exclaimed "He's your son and you're willing to risk his life?!"

"Don't talk to me about parenting, blondie! You have no idea how hard it was for us! I sat back and did nothing for 54 _years_ even when my older son began to be corrupted by evil..." Tora yelled, her rage similar to Natsu's "Even though I survived E.N.D.'s 13 year reign of terror, I never got to see Natsu again... He doesn't even remember his first life,"

Tears began to run down her face as the thought of her younger son consumed her. Kyo put his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder. He too seemed saddened by the state of things.

"The boy we knew as our son, the boy who was Zeref's little brother... He died 441 years ago at the age of 4... E.N.D.? He's just dark corruption inhabiting our baby's body," he explained as he rubbed his wife's back "Natsu's soul can never be free as long as he's possessed by the evil that makes him E.N.D.,"

Tora stepped away from her husband with her silky locks of pale pink hair falling into her face. She turned to them, gazing downwards before looking up.

"This is the only way to free Zeref, stop E.N.D. and possibly save Natsu," she said "The risk... is necessary,"

You could tell just by looking at them that they didn't really think so. Tora took Kyo's hand and she buried her head into his shoulder as tears began to fall again. Kyo put his arm around her to hold her close before looking back at the ex-wizards.

"There's still a chance Natsu could survive, though," he said "Zeref's corruption by evil was caused by the Contradictory Curse placed on him by Mildia's God of Life and Death, Ankhseram, when he was 16. By the age of 21, he'd stopped aging all together and had accepted his demonic powers. It's with this power he created the Demons of Zeref's Books and that includes E.N.D.,"

"So the answer is simple..." Tora said, lifting her head from her husband's shoulder "To destroy Tartaros, revert you friends back into humans and free Zeref, you have to break the Contradictory Curse placed on him all those years ago. This will destroy the demons and abolish E.N.D.'s dark powers but... it was that power that brought Natsu back to life. Destroying it might have fatal consequences..."

The Dragneel parents then held each other after saying what they came to say. They hated the fact they had to go through this. Whatever happened to the days when they had two adorable little sons that happily ran around their feet? Lucy recognized the destroyed look on their faces as the one she had when her mother and then her father died. They were helpless to take care of the ones they loved most.

"So... now that you know this... What do you plan to do?" Kyo asked, his arms tightly wrapped around his trembling wife.

"We're gonna save Natsu, what else? We're gonna break the Contradictory Curse and destroy the demons and save Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed "We just need to find out _how_ to break a Contradictory Curse..."

"While we don't know how to break it, we can tell you that you have to find the root of the problem to break it. What was the fatal chink in Zeref's metaphorical armor that caused him to be cursed? What made him too weak to prevent his corruption?" Tora explained "What changed him from the boy that we knew as our son?"

With that, the ghost woman fell to her knees and hugged herself as she choked out sobs. Kyo knelt down beside her and pulled her into a tight embrace again. A single tear ran down his face as he tried to comfort his crying wife.

* * *

The evacuation arrived early the next morning and the Freedom Fighters were shocked to hear what the advance squad had uncovered. They were further shocked by the presence of Zeref and Natsu's ghost parents and the fact they knew Mavis personally. Erza sat alone on a palace balcony as she tried to plan what to do next. To break the Contradictory Curse, they needed to find the root of it. She rubbed her forehead when she looked up to see Tora sitting on the ledge.

"Mrs. Dragneel, I didn't realize you were here," Erza said, a bit taken back by the similarities between her and her sons.

"Do you think my sons can be saved, Ms. Scarlet?" Tora asked, looking back at her with brilliant green eyes.

"I... don't honestly know," the scarlet-haired woman responded "I'd like to but... I can't let my own personal feelings intervene. Right now, Zeref and E.N.D. are threatening all of Earthland so I have to do what's best for the planet..."

Tora nodded in understanding before looking back out across Crocus. She leaned back on her hands and crossed her legs. You could tell how dated she was by her brown sleeveless dress with the cream-coloured blouse underneath and a red sash tied around her waist. She was definitely from an older time...

"You know..." Tora began as she flicked some of her hair over her shoulder "To the northeast of here is where Koruu Village used to stand. The hometown of the evil Lord Zeref and E.N.D. and it's so close to Fiore's capital... They say you can tell a lot about a person by where they came from,"

With this seemingly redundant piece of information said, Tora got up from the edge and hopped down. She bid Erza farewell before going to rejoin her husband inside. What Tora had said stuck with the scarlet-haired swordswoman for a moment. Erza thought about it before getting to her feet and striding back inside with a plan in mind.

 _"You can tell a lot about a person by where they came from, huh? E.N.D. and Zeref's hometown, the Village of Koruu or Koruu Village, is northeast of here? Seems like you just played me, Tora, well done,"_ Erza thought as she headed through the palace to where the Freedom Fighters were gathered.

Upon reaching the rest of them, a mission to Koruu Village was planned with the most elite team going. That included Erza, Gray and Lucy with Levy going for the archaeological reasons with Gajeel and Juvia going to specifically protect her. Wendy stayed behind with Happy and Carla along with Jet and Droy, who were heartbroken at not going with Levy _again!_ So after packing supplies and getting general directions to Koruu from Kyo and Tora, the research team headed out with Kyo to find the Village of Koruu.

* * *

It took a three hour hike to be in the facility of Koruu and they weren't completely sure since the landscape had changed over the past 400 years. Kyo seemed to have some kind of... instinct... to return to Koruu Village and he seemed to be homing in on it. Just before stepping out of the trees they were heading through, the ghost man came to a stop.

"I can't go any further... I can't step foot in Koruu again..." Kyo said, shaking with nerves.

"It's okay, Mr. Dragneel, we'll go on ahead," said Erza "It's just over that hill, correct?"

"Yes but... be respectful... if I'm right, that's Memorial Hill. It was Koruu Village's graveyard... and where we buried Natsu..."

With this in mind, they headed up the hill to an old oak tree. Kyo remembered it being smaller but 400 years had passed so of course it had grown. When the research squad reached the top of the hill, they froze as they looked down at the ghost town. Old grave markers were scattered down the side of the hill to a broken stone archway that was the entrance to the cemetery. There were dozens of broken down buildings that seemed scarred with ash. Everything seemed a bit crispy, actually.

"Whoa... this is where Natsu was born?" Gray asked.

Koruu was situated at the foot of the mountain with the main business area being within a nook of it. The crumbling town spread out wide outside of the mountain nook to the point that they couldn't quite see the layout of it. The forest around it had grown out of control also...

"Kyo and Tora said the Dragneel home was on the southeast side of Koruu so let's go," Erza ordered after checking her compass.

As they made their way through the ghost town, they found themselves guessing what the old buildings used to be for. Were they homes or businesses? It didn't take a genius to guess the big one with a rusted old bell hanging in a spire was the town hall. As the wind began to pick-up, old wind chimes jingled together in the most unsettling way. At least it wasn't nighttime...

The research squad walked along overgrown dirt paths as they followed the old rotten signs written in Mildian and Erza's compass. Levy took a note of the signs to make sure they were going the right way. The ominous russle of the leaves played on frail nerves when they finally found a dirt road with a sign that translated to "Dragneel Farm" pointing at a collapsed pile of rubble.

"This is Natsu's childhood home?" Juvia asked as they approached the old site.

"Seems so, if I translated that sign right. But how common a surname was 'Dragneel' back then?" Levy asked.

"I guess we should get digging," Lucy interrupted "Right?"

They pushed the bricks and beams aside and were careful of glass as they rummaged through the wreckage. As Gray pushed aside a wooden beam, he saw straight down into a room. The rest of the research squad cleared it out and widened the hole to peak through. It looked like a building... completely underground!

"The house must have sunk over the past 400 years... we must have been rummaging through the roof supports," Gray said as they all looked down "We're going down there, right?"

"Indeed," was Erza's response.

One by one, they dropped down and began poking around the place. There was a box with a mattress and blankets that was presumably a double-bed that once belonged to Kyo and Tora. A table with chairs was situated near some cabinets and counters and a sofa was in front of a fireplace. The main living area...

"So... this is where Natsu crawled from under," Gajeel remarked.

"Be careful. This place in over 400-years-old and may collapse. Step carefully," Erza warned.

What they found was mostly cutlery, crockery, pots and pans, etc. All very basic stuff for a family home. Wary of how fragile it could be, Erza pushed a door open to reveal a room with two small beds in it. The bedsheets were left disgruntled on the mattresses as if the occupier hadn't made them.

"This must have been Zeref and Natsu's room but... Oh, my- look!" Levy exclaimed.

The bluenette pointed at one bed and they all felt sick to their stomachs at the sight. The bedsheets on the right-hand side's bed had died brown patches... a lot of dried brown patches. There was a rusted bucket next to the bed and an over-used handkerchief smeared in dried brown was on the bedside table.

"What... is all that?" Lucy struggled to asked.

Erza stepped towards it and sniffed it.

"I think it's dried blood," she said "This must have been Natsu's bed,"

The image of a young bleeding Natsu caused their stomachs to churn as they continued to look for a clue. Getting on her knees, Lucy looked from down-low when she saw something plush hidden under the bed. Carefully, she pulled it out to see it was a faded dragon plushie. Typical, even before being raised by one, Natsu was still a fan of dragons. Lucy looked down at the 400-year-old plushie and she slipped it into her bag without arousing suspicion. To think the things that toy dragon must have seen...


	12. Chapter 11: The Demon's Past

**How Natsu and Zeref resemble their Parents:**

 **Natsu - has Kyo's features, skin-tone, eye colour and hair texture but has Tora's eye shape and pink hair. Natsu also has Tora's smile.**

 **Zeref - has Tora's features, pale skin, eye colour and hair texture but Kyo's eye shape and black hair. Zeref also has Kyo's laugh.**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 11:

The Demon's Past

 _...441 years ago..._

* * *

A limp pale-green toy dragon was squeezed in the elbow of its owner as the little boy sucked his thumb with the same arm. Tora carried her frail son on her hip as she went about performing normal household tasks. Her 4-year-old was remarkably tiny and light for his age as if he'd never grown from being a toddler. Natsu rubbed his scruffy pink hair against her as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Momma? Will I be able to go out and play tomorrow?" he asked, looking up at her.

"I don't think so, sweetie, you're still quite ill," Tora said, her voice gentle as she disappointed the boy.

Natsu looked down with sadness when he was suddenly pulled from his mother's arms and put on his father's shoulders. Kyo held onto his son's ankles as he bounced him around. The pink-haired boy laughed as his newsboy cap fell in his face.

"Kyo! Be careful!" Tora scolded.

"Ah, relax, Tor-Tor!" Kyo laughed "He's okay! Ain't ya, little buddy?"

Tora rolled her bright green eyes when her husband pulled her to his side with one arm. He kissed her to get her to lighten up and she laughed at him. Kyo always was the goofy one...

"Mama? Papa?"

Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel looked back to see their older son had returned from getting water from the well. The 7-year-old dropped the bottle of cold ground water by the door and walked over to the rest of his family. Zeref took his mother's hand and pulled to get her to crouch down before him. Tora did so and the black-haired boy climbed onto her back. Mrs. Dragneel stood up and the little boy reached out to his younger brother. Kyo jerked Natsu out of reach and the pink-haired boy giggled.

Natsu suddenly went quiet and his tanned cheeks turned red. Seeing this, his father lifted him off his shoulders and held his son in his arms. Natsu suddenly coughed and blood splattered onto his cream-coloured shirt. Immediately afterwards, the Dragneels went into "take care of Natsu" mode with Tora going to prepare a warm meal for his stomach, Zeref going to retrieve his little brother's medicine and Kyo taking Natsu to bed. Within 10 minutes, the ailing 4-year-old was back in his nightgown with an empty bowl of soup on his bedside table and tucked up in bed. He fell asleep quickly...

* * *

 _...Later that night..._

Zeref stared at the wall his bed was up-against as his worry for his brother kept him awake. He rolled over to look at his brother across their shared room and saw Natsu peacefully sleeping, tucked up in bed. His toy dragon was tucked in by his head as it "protected him from nightmares" as their mother had claimed. However, the dragon was failing to do its duty as Natsu began to whimper in fear. Zeref pushed his blanket off and got to his feet. He walked across the room and nudged his brother awake. Natsu looked up at him with big tear-filled eyes and he sniffed.

"Scarey dream, Baby Brother?" Zeref asked him.

"Scarey dream, Big Brother," Natsu confirmed before coughing into the handkerchief clutched in his hand.

Zeref climbed onto his younger brother's bed and began patting his unkept pink hair. He smiled sweetly at him as Natsu looked at him with glinting soot-black eyes before resting his head against his pillow. The 4-year-old fell back to sleep within a few minutes but Zeref kept stroking his hair as he knew it soothed him, even in his sleep.

"Get better, Natsu, then we can play..." he said but tears were forming in his emerald-green eyes "I promise... we'll play outside again... soon,"

Before the tears could spill, he got back to his feet and ran back over to his own bed. Zeref hid under his blanket as tears of worry began to drip from his eyes to the mattress. He'd do anything to help Natsu get better; anything! Yet he couldn't do much other than calm his nightmares.

"Anhkseram, God of Life and Death, please don't take my baby brother from me... I love him, he's my only friend," Zeref whispered before closing his eyes and he let himself fall asleep.

* * *

 _...The next morning..._

Natsu lay in bed with no energy to even sit up. He opened his sore mouth as his mother carefully spoon-fed him some warm porridge. It had honey swirled into it, his favourite breakfast but he didn't have the strength to enjoy it. Tora lowered another spoonful to Natsu and he opened his mouth to accept it. He weakly chewed as his jaw ached and his eyes were heavy.

"Almost done, sweetie," his mother said as she scraped up the last of it from the bowl "Say _aaaah_ ,"

"Aaaah!"

Natsu ate the last spoonful and squeezed his dragon as he swallowed. Tora smiled at him but he could see the unease in her eyes.

"Momma? Am I ever gonna be better? 'Cause I wanna play outside with Zef," he asked with his eyes big and hopeful.

Tora got up, leaned down and kissed her younger son's forehead. She smiled sweetly at him before straightening up and she took the used breakfast bowl away. Her long pink hair swished behind her in a plait as she walked out. Natsu smiled sadly before turning on his side and closing his eyes. It was all he could do nowadays; sleep... and try not to make people worry.

"Hey, little guy," said his father as he entered.

"Papa!" Natsu exclaimed, overjoyed.

Kyo went to his son's bedside and took an apple out of his pocket. Using his pocket knife, he cut out a slice and gave it to the 4-year-old. Natsu happily chomped on the apple slice before Kyo cut another one for him. When nothing but the core was left, the boy's father tossed it out the bedroom window. He wiped his son's sticky apple juice covered hands and mouth with a cloth before ruffling the little boy's hair.

"How ya feeling today, Natsu?" Kyo asked.

"Icky, Papa," Natsu pouted "But I wanna play outside with you and Momma and Big Brother!"

Kyo smiled sadly at him and put his hand on his son's narrow shoulder.

"You know what, Natsu?" he said, peaking the boy's interest "There's something happening tonight called a lunar eclipse. Would you like to come out and watch it?"

Natsu looked awestruck at his father before a huge excited smile spread across his face and he nodded.

"Yeah, yeah! I wanna see! I wanna see!" he chirped.

"Okay, then. You'll need to rest up so you'll have the strength to go tonight," Kyo explained as he tucked his son into bed again "So you take a nap and I'll see about a picnic to take,"

Natsu nodded vigorously and threw himself back against his bed. He curled up in his blanket with his dragon toy tucked in with him and he began fake snoring. Kyo smiled as he closed the bedroom curtains to keep out the sun before leaving.

* * *

 _...Later that same day..._

Feeling as energized as he could, Natsu excited smiled as his mother pulled his shirt over his head. Tora did the buttons on the polo shirt before pulling the suspenders over her son's shoulders to keep his shorts up. She couldn't help but feel happy. Natsu was rarely in the state to get dressed let alone have the strength to go out. But she worried about the townspeople...

Ever since it got out that Natsu was coughing up blood, people had begun ignoring them in fear of what was ailing him. They didn't know what it was or if it was contagious. The people of Koruu Village had gone to the worst case scenario and was avoiding their whole family.

"Momma? Are you okay? You look sad..." Natsu asked.

Dang it, he always could tell when someone was upset. Tora ruffled his messy pink hair before cramming his newsboy cap onto his head.

"I'm fine, sweetie," she said "Now, let's go,"

Mrs. Dragneel turned around and Natsu climbed onto her back. She then took out a long ribbon of fabric and tied it around herself to secure her son incase he couldn't hold on himself. Kyo was waiting with Zeref in the front room for Tora and Natsu to come out of their sons' bedroom. He held a picnic basket in his hand and the older son held a rolled up picnic blanket.

"Papa! Zef!" Natsu exclaimed as he was carried out of his bedroom by his mother.

"Tora, you sure you can carry Natsu?" Kyo asked.

"I'm fine, Kyo. Natsu hasn't grown since he was 2 and I used to carry both him and Zeref when I worked the fields," Tora reassured him "Zeref would be tied to my back and Natsu would nap in a sling on my front. They were such cute little guys!"

Tora gushed at the memory of her sons back when Natsu was only a few weeks old. He was such a precious little thing with pudgy cheeks and a tuft of pink hair on his head. She longed for those days before they realized something was wrong with their dear second son.

"Let's go, Momma!" Natsu cried "Go! Go! Go!"

Tora looked back and smiled at him. Kyo opened the door and the entire Dragneel family left to see the lunar eclipse. Natsu breathed in the fresh air and his grin widened as his eyes lit up. He hadn't been outside for months and it sure felt good to have the wind on his face again.

* * *

Tora glared daggers at the townspeople who dared whisper about her youngest son being outside. Kyo accompanied her in giving the local gossips the death glare. Zeref was staring down the other children of Koruu Village. Natsu, while knowing what people were talking about, ignored the disgusted looks sent his way and happily sat on the picnic blanket with his toy dragon in his arms. He enthusiastically ate a slice of his mother's apple pie made from their farm's own apple orchard produce and the herbs from Tora's garden.

"Having fun, Baby Brother?" Zeref asked.

"Uh-huh! I'm having the bestest time _ever_!" Natsu exclaimed, grinning his big smile once more.

Their parents smiled down at them and Tora put a blanket over her younger son's shoulders. The 4-year-old just kept chomping on apple pie before washing it down with home-squeezed lemonade. It really was the best time of his life.

"Look, boys, the eclipse is starting!" Kyo pointed out.

Shielding their eyes like they were warned to, everyone in Koruu Village looked up to watch as the moon blotted out the sun. Natsu gasped and smiled as he looked up to see the cosmic event. Everything went dark and a cold quickly set in. Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel wrapped the blanket around their sons before snuggling up together for warmth.

"What do you think an eclipse means, Natsu?" Zeref asked his brother.

"Hm... I think an eclipse means we're watching something happen now and someone hundreds of years from now is also watching the same thing!" Natsu decided, nodding his head proudly "Yup, that's what it is! Every eclipse is the same eclipse being enjoyed by everybody ever!"

His parents laughed and they continued to watch the lunar eclipse until it passed after 7 minutes. Kyo lifted Natsu up into his arms since the 4-year-old had fallen asleep and carried him as their family headed home. The toy dragon was squished in Natsu's arms as the pink-haired boy napped the rest of the day away. It was a pretty good day, all in all. Their family had gotten the chance to see a lunar eclipse and Natsu was finally allowed outside to spend some time with them. Tora never felt so content in that moment as they headed back to the little farm they called home...

...She would have savored it more had she known Natsu would be gone within the next few months.

* * *

 **I've been wanting to do a flashback chapter for a while now.**

 **Also: I got a request NOT to end it with E.N.D. becoming good because that's cliché. Don't worry, I already have an ending in mind and it'll punch you in the feels if I do it right! Also, only Hiro Mashima has the skills to make the big bad guy turn good without it being totally ridiculous.**

 **Please review!**


	13. Chapter 12: Advancing Giants

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 12:

Advancing Giants

 _...Present day..._

* * *

Having absorbed extreme amounts of new power, the black markings littering E.N.D.'s skin had spread across him and seemed to even drip off of him like oil. The red pigment of his eyes was washed away by pure gold and his already sharp fangs had sharpened to a pin-point. Two horns had grown from the sides of his head, replacing the horn-like flames that usually protruded from him. He replaced his usual outfit with a black skin-tight sleeveless shirt with a gold lining and a golden stripe going straight up the front and the Tartaros guild mark in gold over his heart. A pair of black golden lined armbands encased his lower arms with a triangular cut at the ends to end them in a point. He wore a ragged black wrap around his hips and grey trousers tucked into black knee-high boots. A brown cloak with a grey interior hung around his shoulders and he constantly radiated red-and-gold flames.

E.N.D. hissed as if in pain as he sat on his throne. Fastening her cloak around her shoulders, Neo-Lisanna approached him all set to attack Crocus.

As he had suggested, she wore an outfit near identical to her original one. Her black blouse had elbow-length sleeves with the cuffs folded up and her waistcoat was red with two golden buttons fastening it around her petite waist. She replaced her previous skirt with violet ruffled one with multiple black petticoats underneath. Her new stockings were black-and-gold striped and she wore knee-high red combat-boots with wedge-heels. Lisanna definitely didn't look herself in that outfit.

"Beloved? What troubles you?" she asked as she came to sit on the throne's armrest.

"Nothing... this coming battle will be the start of something glorious," E.N.D. growled through his gritted fangs "We demons will destroy this world and build ourselves a new one,"

"You'll be a king," Lisanna pointed out.

"And I'll have you as my queen, dear sweet Lisanna," he growled out.

Grabbing her wrist, E.N.D. pulled the white-haired demon into his lap and pressed his lips to hers. Lisanna squeaked in surprise but grinned and kissed him back, her hands cupping the sides of his face. He ripped away from her, leaving her out of breath and she smiled at the cold look in his eyes. E.N.D. remained silent and Lisanna got up from his lap, her violet-scaled tail lingering as she stepped away. She turned to face him with her hands on her hips and she grinned.

"You truly are the most evil creature to ever walk the earth, aren't you?" she asked.

She laughed maniacally as she walked away, her grin showing her pointed teeth. E.N.D. watched as she walked away before falling into deep thought. This had been in the making for 400 years and he'd drowned out the nagging voices in the back of his head. All of his other lives were silenced, nothing but E.N.D. remained; his second and fourth lives were one in the same. Now with the demonic power rushing through his bloodstream, he would scorch the earth.

* * *

 _...Crocus..._

"I want every inch of the city wall reinforced! Not one weakness can be left exposed! If the reports Laxus and the Thunder Legion came back with are accurate, we're in for a big one!" Erza ordered.

Freedom Fighters and palace guards rushed around to her orders as they prepared to fortify the city. They'd just gotten word from their long-distance reconnaissance teams that Acnologia was seen with Tartaros heading out of Magnolia and in the direction of Crocus. Whatever the demons had been up to, it was happening now.

"Erza!" Jellal yelled as he ran to her side "We just got a messenger pigeon from the Trimens. It says Demon's Layer has changed locations and there's been no sign of E.N.D. or Zeref,"

"Gotcha," was Erza's curt answer.

"Erza?" the blue-haired man's voice softened "Did you and the research team find anything out about Zeref's contradictory curse in Koruu? Do you know what keeps it on him?"

"Obviously something to do with Natsu's death but we can't figure out what. Levy's working on some old papers we found in the Dragneel home with Kyo and Tora. Maybe whatever it is was documented," Erza responded when she pulled herself up onto some scaffolding "Now, I'd love to stay and chat, sweetie, but we've got defenses to put up,"

She leaned down and kissed him goodbye before she climbed through the scaffolding to the top. Sighing, Jellal went to get started on the evacuation down to Abyss Palace. They needed the citizens and refugees out of the way for the battle... now they just needed a strategy to use against the Demons of Zeref's Books.

* * *

Riding on the shoulder of Deliora, E.N.D. smiled as the excitement ran through him. Finally, they were going to end all life on the continent. Neo-Lisanna sat on the colossal demon's shoulder by his feet as she rode with him. The other members of Tartaros rode on Lullaby's back while Zeref and Mard Geer rode on the back of Acnologia. E.N.D. couldn't wait to see the look on the humans' faces when they saw three evil giants heading straight for them.

"My first big battle as a demon! Yay!" Lisanna cried.

"Indeed so you better not mess up," the Flame Demon warned her.

"No need to worry, beloved. I've got the Creature Whisper Curse pegged," the white-haired demon declared "Those lowly humans won't know what hit them!"

Lisanna got to her feet and leaned into E.N.D. for balance. He put his arm around her as he leaned against Deliora's neck and kissed her, pressing his lips to hers. Lisanna smiled and toyed with a lock of his hair between her fingers as he kissed her.

"We'll rule a world of fire and despair together..." E.N.D. tempted her with "You, my queen, showered with gold and jewels and power... more power than you could ever want,"

"I can't wait..." Neo-Lisanna said, running her finger across his shoulder in circles "But, hey, you said it would take three days to get to Crocus with these big lugs so how are we so close already?"

E.N.D. laughed and pulled her tighter to his side with a fanged smile.

"Why'd you think I moved Demon's Layer? This way, we'll be there within the next 12 hours but the humans will still squirm as they watch us approach," he explained.

"You evil genius," she said before planting a kiss on his lips "and my dearest love..." she didn't finish her sentence out loud _"Natsu..."_

Thinking of the fire-spewing goofball E.N.D. had been when she fell in love with him, Lisanna felt a tear run down her cheek and then another one down her other cheek. She looked up at E.N.D. and the sadistic smile on his face... He wasn't her Natsu. Groaning, Neo-Lisanna grabbed the side of her head in pain before forcing herself to kiss the Flame Demon once more. He was her love... wasn't he?

* * *

Wendy looked at the horizon through a pair of binoculars for any sign of trouble. Carla and Happy sat next to her as the white-furred Exceed tried to assure her blue-furred companion that Natsu would be okay. The sun was beginning to go down and bathed the land in a layer of golden light.

"See anything up there, Wendy?" Chelia called from below.

"No! Nothing yet!" Wendy called back.

The former Sky Dragon Slayer continued to scan the land for any sight of Tartaros or any sign of a demon's presence. Despite her eyes growing wary, she ignored her coming headache to keep looking. However, by constantly staring through a pair of binoculars, she didn't see Kyo and Tora coming her way.

"Hello," the ghost man said.

Wendy jumped and looked away from the barren land that stretched outside of Crocus. The two ghosts sat down beside her and they sat in awkward silence for a moment.

"Natsu's like a big brother to you, isn't he?" Tora asked.

"Uhh... y-yeah, he was," Wendy stammered "Even if he didn't know what happened to Grandina..."

"We were having a daughter once," Mrs. Dragneel remarked as she looked out at the sunset "But it was my fault she didn't survive..."

"Tora..." Kyo quickly interrupted and he put his arm around her as she hid her head in her hands.

Wendy looked at them for a second. She was curious about what happened but she didn't want to intrude or remind them of a painful experience. Carla decided this was a good time to leave so she took Happy's paw and led him away.

"When Natsu passed away, I had already been 2 months along and after we lost him... I stopped taking care of myself. I didn't eat or sleep or do anything, really. So when our daughter was born... she was stillborn," Tora explained, looking up at the sky "She had pink hair like her Big Brother Natsu... we named her Mary Elizabeth just to... to have something on her grave,"

The pink-haired ghost looked down as she sobbed and leaned into Kyo's arms. The ghost man sadly smiled at his wife before looking at Wendy.

"Losing our son after only having him for four years was hard but people can learn to live on from that grief but... losing the daughter who never got the chance to live within the same year? We couldn't handle it..." he explained "It was after Mary Elizabeth's death that Tora was institutionalized... She couldn't take care of herself anymore,"

Wendy had her hands over her mouth as tears ran down her face.

"But... now that you two are deceased, doesn't that mean you can see your daughter again?" she asked, her young mind unable to comprehend the lack of a happy ending.

"No, we can't... we've been trapped on this plain of existence since our deaths and we will be until Zeref and Natsu are free," Tora said "Even if that means they... they die,"

Wendy looked away from the ghost couple as she tried to process the sad story she'd just heard.

"Why did you tell me this?" she asked, staring down at the binoculars in her hands.

"Because... Natsu never even knew he was going to be a big brother... so we're happy he got to have you as a surrogate little sister," Tora said, smiling at the bluenette.

Wendy looked at them both before smiling back.

"Thanks," she said "But I doubt Natsu saw me as a little sister. I was just a guildmate of his,"

Kyo smiled at her before looking out at the horizon.

"Natsu saw everyone in Fairy Tail as family..." he said "He definitely saw you as a little sister figure,"

Wendy smiled as she thought of how their guild really was one great big family. Makarov often called them his children and he was a father figure to pretty much everyone in Fairy Tail. Because of his old age, Fairy Tail's master had to be evacuated to Crocus early on since he was pretty useless without his magic. Wendy giggled at the memory of him protesting against being sent away. After saying goodbye to the ghosts of Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel, she resumed her duty of looking out for any demon activity.

* * *

"Lord E.N.D., the sun is going down. Should we stop for the night?" Mard Geer asked.

The Flame Demon smirked as he summoned forth Demon's Layer from where he stood on Deliora's shoulder. The brimstone castle broke through the ground within a corner of a large rock formation perfect for hiding it within.

"Lamy! You'll be manning the regeneration pods from here incase someone dies," E.N.D. ordered "You better have anyone who dies revived and ready within 10 minutes or I'll make sure you die! Don't you dare neglect anyone just because they're female. Kyouka and Seilah are far more important than you are so don't waste time!"

Lamy quickly climbed down from Lullaby and ran into the walls of Demon's Layer. The other demons laughed at her pointlessness before turning to receive orders from their master.

"Acnologia, Mard Geer! You keep my brother safe, ya got that?! Something happens to him and you won't live to see tomorrow!" E.N.D. ordered up to them "And you lot," he looked over at the demons on Lullaby's back "Let Deliora and Lullaby break down the city wall then flood in and kill anyone you find. If there's no one but Freedom Fighters then dig up the ground until you hit the Abyss Palace and drop Lullaby down there. My guess, that's where they'd evacuate to at such short notice! Got it?!"

The members of Tartaros nodded. A sadistic smile spread across E.N.D.'s face and he licked his lips as if he was tasting the blood of his enemies. It had been a while (i.e 400 years, give or take) since he'd last been involved with a battle of this magnitude. Sure, he'd fought in some pretty big fights during his third life but this was his first since his return as E.N.D.

* * *

 **Yo... uhh... pointless author's note... so... please review? Yeah... please review! I'll give you a cookie...**

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 **You know you want a cookie... so review.**

 **Also, the chapter name is the literal English translation of "Shingeki** **no Kyojin" the Japanese name for the Attack on Titan franchise. A reference to one of my favourite animes.**


	14. Chapter 13: A Declaration of War

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 13:

A Declaration of War

* * *

The moment the ground began to shake was the moment they knew... Tartaros had arrived. The sight of Deliora and Lullaby caused the Freedom Fighters' blood to run cold but the sight of Acnologia flying overhead caused their hearts to stop. Their monstrous forms were silhouetted by the dying light of the setting sun as it went down behind them.

In their haste to defeat Tartaros, no one had realized it was the 31st of December and thus New-Year's Eve. The lack of snow had really caused them to forget since E.N.D. burning their country had distorted the weather patterns quite a bit. No one had kept track of the days since their fight with the demons had begun.

Looking out over the city wall, Erza was thankful that all of the civilians had been evacuated deep within the Abyss Palace. She didn't know how a group of powerless wizards could defeat demons that were as tall as the royal palace but they had to try. The sun sank behind the horizon and a night sky of a million stars fell overhead. This wasn't good... now they couldn't see them coming.

"GET DOWN!"

At these frantic words, a large fireball came hurtling towards them. The Freedom Fighters jumped out of the way as it struck the wall and sent flames everywhere. In the glow of the fire, the shapes of Deliora and Lullaby were illuminated. A menacing laugh rang out around them before E.N.D. lit himself up with his demonic flames.

"Kill them all!" he ordered.

The demons rained down on them, bringing death and destruction with them. Lullaby raised its wooden arm and swung down, crashing it into the city wall. Freedom Fighters screamed as the wall fell under their feet but kept on fighting against the demonic forces.

"Lisanna!"

Hearing her name, Neo-Lisanna looked down to see her sister running in the direction of Deliora. E.N.D. snickered as he sent out his flames to illuminate Crocus with a terrifying glow.

"Guess it's time to get in on the battle," Lisanna laughed "I'll be right back, my beloved E.N.D.,"

The Flame Demon nodded as he continued to light the battlefield in his demonic flames. Lisanna threw her legs over Deliora's shoulder before pushing herself off. She went rocketing down in the direction of Mirajane before positioning herself to deliver a devastating kick, fueled by the momentum of the fall.

 _"Creature Whisper: Earth Goblin Restraints!"_

Two pairs of rock hands grew from the ground around Mirajane's ankles and took hold to keep her still. Doing the best she could, the long-haired beauty raised her arms in a cross to soften the blow... it didn't do much. Lisanna's boot hit her with the force of a bullet and pushed the older sister down. Having hit with such power, Mirajane was pushed against the ground with her sister's foot keeping her down. The ground beneath her was displaced by her body as they skidded several yards from where they started.

* * *

The two sisters came to a stop when Mirajane hit the rubble of the city wall. She cracked her eyes open only to see Lisanna reeling back a punch. Luckily, despite being demonified, this was still Lisanna and she wasn't very good at fighting outside of her Animal Souls. Mirajane grabbed her sister's fist and delivered a kick to the abdomen. Lisanna sprang upwards with only a few seconds to spare and landed on all-fours within the city walls.

"Lisanna! Please!" Mirajane exclaimed as she clambered to her feet "Snap out of it! This isn't you!"

 _"Creature Whisper: Stone Bear!"_

A large grey stone bear rose from the ground and swiped at the white-haired woman with its long claws. Mirajane jumped back and drew her dagger from its sleeve. If only she was skilled with a more effective weapon against stone. The stone bear swiped at her again but this time, Mirajane jumped up and landed on its outstretched front paw. She ran along the stone and jumped off its shoulder before it could swipe at her again. She readied an attack but the face of her sister looked up at her. Lisanna saw the moment of hesitation and took it. The white-haired demon grabbed Mirajane's wrists and pushed her away, locking metaphorical horns with her older sister. Her violet-scaled tail snaked out from her cloak and its pointed tip sharpened before its points spread out like an arrow head. Lisanna stabbed her tail just beneath Mirajane's ribcage and the other white-haired woman screamed in pain as blood leaked out onto her clothes.

"Pathetic... to think you were known as the She-Devil," Neo-Lisanna laughed as her sister dropped to the ground "Absolutely pathetic!"

Mirajane clawed at the ground as her baby sister let out sadistic laughter. She couldn't let her sister end like this. She had to stop holding back. Whatever damage was inflicted on Lisanna's body would have to be the cost of getting her back. Mirajane looked up to see the demon standing a couple of yards away and still laughing. Ignoring the excruciating pain, the former Take-Over Mage forced herself to her feet with her dagger in hand and she rushed the white-haired demon standing before her. Lisanna roared as Mirajane drove her dagger into her shoulder and she turned to face her. The older sister had one arm wrapped around her side with her hand keeping the wound shut.

"OOOOWWWWW!" Lisanna cried before unadulterated rage appeared on her face _"Creature Whisper: Sand Golems!"_

She dug her hands into the rubble and flicked it up into her sister's face. Cloaked beings wielding long swords formed from the dust with eyes shut. Before Mirajane could make a jab at Lisanna again, a sand golem drew its sword and swiped down at her. Forced to constantly defend, she watched as her little sister snickered and pulled up her hood before walking away.

"DANG YOU, E.N.D.! YOU'VE RUINED MY SISTER!" Mirajane shouted as she tried to get past the sand golems "YOU FIRE-SPEWING JACK-ASS!"

Lisanna froze and the sand golems turned back into dust.

"What... did you just call my beloved?" she asked but her sister couldn't hear.

Mirajane held her arm from swinging her dagger around so much and she looked up at her little sister. Lisanna stood a good few yards away when she began to radiate black-and-violet light. Her entire being transformed.

Her tail became thicker and violet-scaled wings spread out from behind her cloak. The hood over her head blew down to reveal her horns growing into twisted bull's horns. Lisanna turned around to face her so that her sister could see what she was dealing with. Her skin turned pitch black and her eyes glowed violet. Her hair grew out from its neat cut and long bangs fell into her face. Her ears became pointy and her fangs grew larger. Violet scales grew across her skin and her golden light cracked along her body. A red skirt with slits up the sides appeared hanging from her hips with knee-length golden leggings underneath. Her cloak disappeared and her blouse and waistcoat were replaced by a red empire-waisted top with detached golden sleeves pulled up her arms. A white scarf appeared and circled around her neck, torso and shoulders before tying itself behind her back.

"Oh... crud..." Mirajane said to herself.

 _"This is what you get for insulting my beloved!"_ Neo-Lisanna roared _"My Etherious form!"_

Mirajane's eyes widened at the sight as her seething little sister approached her, the ground crumbling underfoot. Lisanna came to a stop right in front of her sister and she roared. The roar died into sadistic laughter before she directed her soulless glowing eyes at her.

 _"*Now I can use my Curse on myself,"_ she said _"Creature Whisper: Iron Blood!"_

Lisanna delivered a devastating punch to Mirajane's gut and sent her flying, blood escaping her mouth from impact. The white-haired demon spread her new wings and flew up after her sister. She clasped her hands together and raised them above her.

 _"Creature Whisper: Condensed Gravity Centre!"_

Lisanna's centre of gravity moved to her hands so her clasped fists were pulled down and delivered an extreme blow to Mirajane. Her older sister went hurtling towards the ground, only to be saved at the last moment by the white-haired demon who grabbed the former Take-Over wizard by the hair. Lisanna pulled Mirajane along by her long white hair and used it to throw her sister through a building.

* * *

Kyo and Tora stayed sat on the remaining city wall as the battle commenced. They couldn't intervene in this. Sadly, they looked into the sky to see Zeref on the back of Acnologia and Natsu on Deliora's shoulder... no, not Zeref and Natsu but rather, the Black Wizard and E.N.D. instead.

"Oh... Zef... Natsu... What have the centuries done to you?" Tora asked as tears began to run down her face.

"It's okay, Tor-Tor, everything will be over soon," Kyo reassured her "No matter how things work out, I know it'll end with our freedom,"

"I don't care about _our_ freedom, Kyo, I care about our _sons'_ ," the ghost woman said "Zeref and Natsu were always such gentle boys... how can they be the ones doing this?"

Kyo pulled her into his arms and held her close. With their arms wrapped around each other, they closed their eyes and blocked out the sounds of the battle. They'd remain still and silent until everything was over.

* * *

 ***In these cases, the creature Lisanna is "whispering" to is herself. By ordering the elements within her own body she is able to grant herself incredible strength.**


	15. Chapter 14: Betrayal

**Heh... heh... heh... I've got a plan *rubs hands together Doofenshmirtz-style***

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 14:

Betrayal

* * *

How do you capture the most powerful wizard to ever live while lacking any sort of magic yourself? That was the question Sting asked when Erza ordered him, Rogue and Yukino to capture Zeref. It was insane! Zeref was riding a flipping _dragon_ and Lector and Frosch couldn't even fly them up there. So how did Erza expect them to pull this off?

"We need Acnologia to come down," Sting said as he and his team ran the steps to the highest point in the palace "If we can just get close enough, we can jump on,"

"Then what?" Yukino asked "Mard Geer's got curse power and... wait..."

She came to a stop as she put the pieces together.

"Yukino, what's wrong?" Sting asked.

"Acnologia is a Dragon Slayer who was consumed by his power... his _magic_ power... but Fiore's been magic deprived for five months now so... how is he still a dragon?" Yukino asked.

The rest of their team looked at one another as they realized the same thing. That and...

"How come Fiore hasn't been reabsorbing magic?" Lector asked "It should have absorbed some from the surrounding area so... how come?"

Knowing this, there was only one logical solution (and then the solution Frosch thought of): Tartaros was _stealing_ magic to power their magic users. This probably meant Zeref hadn't been de-powered as they'd hoped and E.N.D. could still use Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. If they weren't doomed before then they were definitely doomed now...

* * *

"They... WHAT?!" Erza shouted after the capture team reported back to her.

They cringed under her glare as the scarlet-haired woman took this under account. If they had magic then she had no idea what to do. Times like these made her wish someone else was the leader... dang.

"They must have it stored as a lacrima to prevent any magic power leaking out," Jellal said, sensing that Erza needed someone else to give some orders "My guess it'll be in Demon's Layer. We need to send a team in to destroy it to release all of the magical energy. The moment that happens, we, as wizards, should be able to tell. That should even out the battlefield a bit,"

Erza contemplated this new plan. Even with their magic back, they were all out of practice and Zeref was still extremely powerful. But it gave them a shot.

"Jellal, lead a recovery team into Demon's Layer and release the magic wherever or however they're storing it. Sting, Rogue and Yukino, get Yuka Suzuki from Lamia Scale to cancel out Zeref's magic and get ready to capture him. I'll get Freed to start working on the runes for a magic-cancelling enchantment to keep him in. Now, go! We don't have long before E.N.D. decides to join the fight!" Erza ordered.

The Freedom Fighters split up to complete their individual tasks as the battle raged on around them. The twisted smile on E.N.D.'s face enraged the scarlet-haired woman as she ran in search of Freed. She still couldn't comprehend how that immature but lovable idiot Natsu was really an evil 400-year-old Flame Demon. Erza scanned the battlefield for Freed's green hair. But doubts plagued her mind... E.N.D. may have been evil but he was made from Natsu, who was good and never got the chance to truly live. Was it right to end Natsu just to be rid of E.N.D.?

 _"What am I thinking?"_ Erza asked herself as she shook her head _"It's Natsu we're talking about! If it meant destroying one of the world's greatest evils, he wouldn't stop for a heartbeat before running forward to do so... He may be E.N.D. now but the Natsu Dragneel I know would never put his life above everyone else's!"_

Catching sight of long green hair, Erza ran in the direction of Freed and yanked the former mage out of the battle. She led him away to the mountains and explained _everything_ to him. Freed agreed and immediately began drawing out the magic runes on the ground in purple chalk. Once that was done, all they'd need would be magic to power it and a certain Black Wizard to trap into it.

* * *

Jellal searched through the battle for Gray and Juvia and found them fighting back-to-back with each other. After dragging them aside and explaining the situation, the recovery team ran from the battle in the hopes Demon's Layer wasn't too far away. Seeing them attempting to escape, E.N.D.'s sadistic grin widened and he sent his Demonic Fire out to create a wall of flames to trap them all in. Picking up the paste, the recovery team managed to escape just before the firewall closed in. Shrugging their escape off, E.N.D. turned back to throwing fire and ordering Deliora and/or Lullaby to attack.

"That was uncomfortably close!" Gray gasped as they hid by the rock formations to catch their breath.

"I smell burning..." Juvia said, sniffing.

"Your hair's on fire!"

Gray pulled out a pocket knife and cut the burning end of her French braid off. Juvia's blue hair unravelled and fell around her shoulders, waves from the French braid making her hair even more ocean-like. Gray stared for a moment as he realized just how beautiful she was with her hair down before shaking his head.

"Okay, so... where's Demon's Layer?" he asked.

Jellal climbed over some rocks and looked out at the barren wasteland. If he had to guess, E.N.D. would have parked his castle nearby but out of sight. That could only mean it was wedged somewhere within the rock formations that littered the land.

"C'mon, it's gotta be hidden nearby," Jellal said.

The recovery team crept out and began searching for their target. All of the members of Tartaros were in the battle so there couldn't be much security around Demon's Layer. That didn't mean they could carelessly waltz in, though. They needed to be careful or E.N.D. might just send one of those behemoths after them.

* * *

Guarding the evacuated Fiore citizens were Wendy, Carla and Happy with Warren, Max, Nab and other B-lister members of Fairy Tail. They could feel the tremors as Deliora and Lullaby moved around and the sound of the battle wafted down to them. Practically every single person in Fiore was down in the Abyss Palace as they continued to the furthest corner of the chasm.

"Natsu..." Happy whispered, his voice broken as tears ran down his blue-furred face "I'm your fuzzy little buddy... remember? Natsu... you and Lisanna hatched me from my egg... you were basically my foster parents... now you're both demons..." he cried out and let out a loud whine as he sobbed "I WANT NATSU AND LISANNA BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY! _E.N.D._!"

Carla hugged him as they rode in Wendy's backpack. Happy's salty tears spilled and dampened her clothes but the white-furred Exceed ignored it. She patted his back, stroked his fur, held him close and rubbed her cheek against his head. Carla kissed(?) the top of his head and held him tighter.

"Don't worry, Happy. I'll always be here for you, I promise," she whispered.

Happy whimpered as his wide eyes continued to let tears fall. Their tails coiled around each other's and the blue-furred Exceed fell asleep as Carla continued to sooth him with her comforting presence. She would stay with him... forever.

* * *

Having spotted Demon's Layer, the recovery team began to circle in the hopes of finding a hidden way in. They didn't know how many demons were in there or if there were any. Thinking of their demonified friends, the recovery team got closer and (seeing no other way) snuck through the _open_ front door. The wind whistled into the brimstone hall as the lamps of Demonic Fire burned to light the castle.

"I was expecting more resistance..." Gray said "What now, mission leader?"

Jellal looked around as he calculated their next move. Although splitting up would cover more ground, it was too dangerous if they ran into a member of Tartaros. They'd have to stick together and hope they would pick-up on a trace of magic before long.

"Let's go..." Jellal said "They'd probably hide their stolen magic somewhere low. We should check around their regeneration lab. You two have been here before, lead the way,"

Gray took lead and the recovery team jogged through the dimly lit corridors. They headed down the spiral staircase for Devil's Heart. The sound of someone grumbling caught their attention as they neared the rebirth lab. It sounded like Lamy and she wasn't happy. Coming to the door of Devil's Heart, the recovery team listened in on Lamy's ramblings.

"Stupid Neo-Lisanna! She doesn't have the right to be Lord E.N.D.'s love! She's just some ugly bimbo E.N.D. fell for while in a _daze_! If anything, he should have _destroyed_ her to remove his lingering feelings! _Humph_!"

They heard the sound of a door opening and closing and the room went quiet. Taking the risk, Jellal opened the door and led the recovery team in. Devil's Heart seemed empty enough with just unused revival pods lined up one after another. As they made their way through, Juvia's surveying eyes caught sight of a discarded white scarf with a scale-like pattern. She broke from the group, knelt down and picked it up. The last time she'd seen this was when they used it to help cover up a newly demonified Lisanna. That was only several days ago yet it felt like a month.

"Poor Lisanna... but don't worry, we'll save you," Juvia said.

As she got to her feet, a certain bunny-eared demon pounced. Lamy pushed the former Water Mage to the ground and began throwing weak punches at her.

"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed.

Before the rest of the recovery team could pull Lamy off of her, someone unexpected grabbed the demon girl by the bunny ears and lifted her up. Lamy looked into the dark eyes of Neo-Minerva before she was thrown to the ground.

"Minerva?!" Juvia exclaimed.

"What are you doing?! You're meant to be fighting with Lord E.N.D.!" Lamy screamed.

Minerva put her foot on the bunny-eared demon's back and pushed down.

"I regretted joining Tartaros the moment I saw E.N.D. released. That kind of evil... that kind of _pain_... shouldn't exist in this world! It's not what I signed up for and... it's not true strength!" she yelled "I reject your ways in favour of trying to regain my humanity and repent for my sins..."

Minerva picked Lamy back up and threw her across Devil's Heart, crashing her into several rebirth pods. The bunny-eared girl hit the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious. The recovery team, unable to comprehend what they just witnessed, looked at the remaining demon with dumbfounded expressions. Minerva straightened out her disgruntled outfit before turning to the Freedom Fighters.

"I assume you're here for Fiore's reabsorbed magic?" she asked and they nodded "C'mon, I know where it is,"

Still flabbergasted by this new revelation, the recovery team blindly followed the demonified woman as she led them back upstairs. Back in the main hall, Minerva moved E.N.D.'s throne aside and led them down the dark tunnel. It didn't cross their minds that it could be a trap. Jiemma could be at the end of the tunnel, ready to ambush and kill them but the situation was so bizarre that they remained shocked.

* * *

Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, Jellal aided Minerva in moving the heavy bar out of the way and they forced the door open. Inside, the giant blue lacrima sparked as Fiore tried to reabsorb magic back into its atmosphere. It seemed to be absorbing more and more, more than usual.

"This thing looks like it's about to blow," said Gray "What's wrong with it?"

"The more magic Zeref, E.N.D. and Acnologia use, the more the lacrima tries to compensate. At this rate, trying to store the magic will cause a mass explosion. On the up side, that'll restore magic to Fiore but will also decimate Demon's Layer," Minerva said "We need to dispel the magic into the atmosphere before then,"

"Gotcha..." said Jellal "How do we do that?"

They began by blocking the ventilation to prevent it from growing any larger. Then came trying to dispel it safely. Normally to release the magic from a lacrima, you'd just have to break it but that much power? Only Dragon Slayer Magic had ever broken a lacrima that big safely before and that was in Edolis...

"We need our magic for this..." Juvia panted after repeatedly hitting the lacrima "How can we get it out of that thing?"

"E.N.D., Zeref and Acnologia all have Organic-Links to the lacrima..." Minerva explained "Zeref formed his Organic-Link outside of Fiore then formed one between the lacrima and E.N.D. then E.N.D. formed one between it and Acnologia. That was magic... maybe I can do it with curse power..."

Cautiously, she placed her hand on the pulsating blue lacrima and gestured for one of them to do the same. Taking the risk, Gray stepped forward and put his hand against it. Minerva took a deep breath and began attempting to form an Organic-Link. It didn't have to last long, just long enough to break the lacrima. A moment passed and their hands began to sink into the blue sphere.

"Is it working?" Juvia asked Jellal.

"I'm not sure but we don't have a choice right now," Jellal responded.

The magic from the lacrima began to spark around them as it was pushed into doing what Minerva wanted by the foreign Curse Power injected into it. The marks of an Organic-Link began to creep along Gray's skin when the lacrima suddenly pulsed like a beating heart... and released a magic explosion. The recovery team plus Minerva were thrown back but as the dust cleared, the temperature dropped.

"Everyone okay?" Jellal asked as he looked for his teammates.

A light blue magic circle glowed underfoot as Gray got to his feet, an Organic-Link glowing on his arm. He ran a finger along his shirt buttons before discarding the piece on clothing.

"Oh... I'm far better than okay..." he smirked "Try... magical,"

* * *

 **This would've been done sooner but I got sick with a runny nose and a headache and a sore throat... it hasn't been a fun couple of days...**

 **On a positive note, my big brother (brother number #4) came home from his mission! And if you're Mormon, then you know what that means...**

 **Anyways, cookies for being patient! I realized the eyes of this face ^~^ don't appear in reviews (which sucks) so do whatever face you want to show your appreciation of cookies:**

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	16. Chapter 15: Magic

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 15:

Magic

* * *

A newly re-powered Ice-Make Wizard and a newly re-powered Water Mage performing a Unison Raid was definitely enough to destroy a giant lacrima safely. The magic spread out across the clouds and rained down on the continent. Anyone with an Organic-Link to the lacrima lost their connection as Fiore was restored to its former magical state.

Every mage and Exceed in the country sighed with relief as they felt their internal magic containers refill with power. As Neo-Lisanna threw her sister into the palace grounds, Mirajane felt her body absorb the magic as it filled the void left by Face. From the dust cloud that was kicked up by her impact into the ground, a voice echoed out...

" _Take-Over: Satan Soul_ ,"

With black wings spread out, Mirajane flew up and delivered a devastating kick to her sister. Lisanna went flying further into the air until she managed to balance herself. Mirajane came rocketing up to her with a punch ready but her younger sister put up her guard. They clashed and continued to throw demonic hit after demonic hit at each other.

* * *

With the magic now wide-spread, Acnologia was thrown into a state of confusion. Taking advantage of this, Lector and Frosch flew Yuka up into the air and threw him towards the Dragon King. With an anti-magic field around him, he grabbed onto Zeref as he flew by. The two began to arc downwards to where Freed had powered up the magic-cancelling magic runes.

"They're coming in hard! We need to soften the blow for Yuka's sake!" Erza ordered.

Seeing his guildmate in trouble, Lyon jumped into action.

" _Ice-Make: Bridge!_ "

The frozen arc grew from the ground and to Yuka. As he and Zeref slid down, Yuka threw him in the direction of the magic runes and he went sliding back down to the ground. The Black Wizard hadn't put up a fight and he just lay there within the confines of the magic runes. He leaned up and turned his head to look at them with glowing red eyes.

"Hello, Zeref. Do you know who I am?" Erza asked, kneeling down outside of the runes.

"Erza Scarlet, age 19, a Requip Wizard. You were a slave that helped construct a working model of my R-System," Zeref said "A possessed Jellal Fernandes tried to recycle your biomass into a vessel for my soul..."

Erza looked down at him with a stoic expression. She got to her feet and Requiped a sword from her dimensional space. She put her left hand on her hip and leaned against the holy blade in her right.

"Let me ask you something..." Erza said "Do you love your younger brother?"

* * *

Seeing their older son captured, Kyo and Tora felt their hearts break. If Fairy Tail could get Zeref to reveal the reason the Contradictory Curse affected him, they could break it. That meant they were a step closer to defeating E.N.D. and... losing Natsu.

"There's still a chance he could survive," Kyo said, trying to offer comforting words to his wife.

"Kyo... we both know not to get our hopes up..." Tora said, resting her head on his shoulder "I just want them to be free..."

Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel looked to their younger son but E.N.D.'s sadistic grin had vanished. He wasn't happy that the magic had been dispersed, he knew he should have gotten rid of Minerva when he had the chance. Oh, well.

"After almost 400 years... our nightmare is almost over," Kyo said.

Tora wrapped her arms around him and curled up with her eyes screwed shut. He held his wife tightly as they waited for the battle to be over. Fate was never kind to the Dragneels...

* * *

The aerial battle between Neo-Lisanna and Mirajane continued on. The sisters grappled with each other before kicking away from one another. Mirajane panted and spat thick red blood from her mouth. Lisanna wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and glared at her older sister.

"Don't make me do this, Lisanna! You're my baby sister and I don't want to hurt you!" Mirajane yelled "This isn't you!"

"This _is_ me! And I'll stay this way to be with E.N.D.!" Lisanna yelled "I'd do anything for him..."

Tears ran down her pale face as she became more and more desperate to win against her sister. Mirajane sighed and put her hands together as dark power formed between them.

"I'm sorry, Lisanna, but you've given me no choice," she said and reeled her arms back to throw the spell " _Soul Extinction..._ "

Mirajane threw the spell at her sister and the devastiting amount of dark power made contact. Lisanna went flying down and the blood-curdling scream she let out caught E.N.D.'s attention. The Flame Demon saw her falling at top-speed and something in him snapped.

Mirajane flew down and caught her sister by the horns. She spun her around in the air and released her, throwing her younger sister into the wall of the palace. Like a missile, Mirajane flew after her and threw Lisanna into the ground like she had done to her before. The She-Devil kneed her sister into the ground and the demonified girl reverted from her Etherious form. She was bruised and bleeding with tears running down her face.

"Na-Natsu... why?" Lisanna whispered in her unconscious state "I saw you... everyday at the guild... you were either fighting Gray... or hanging out with Lucy... did you even notice me? Natsu... we used to be best friends... why couldn't you pay more attention to me? Why couldn't I tell you- you how I felt?"

Mirajane's Take-Over wore off and she collapsed to her knees next to her sister.

"Sleep well, Lisanna, it's almost over... I hope," she said.

* * *

E.N.D. looked around the battlefield. Lisanna was defeated, Minerva had betrayed them, the magic had been released to all of Fiore and now his brother was captured. The nagging voice of his first life pestered his mind as his internal prison began to break.

 _"You cannot win, E.N.D.,"_

"Not you again..." E.N.D. hissed.

 _"Do you see them? The ghosts of your parents are watching... and they're crying. Is this what you wanted? Look around, you're alone and you'll remain alone until you accept that this is not who you are. You are not Etherious Natsu Dragneel, you're just Natsu Dragneel and you died over 400 years ago. Just accept your first life, Natsu. You haven't been yourself for a very long time..."_

"SHUT-UP!" E.N.D. shouted at the top of his lungs.

He jumped off of Deliora's shoulder and stumbled away. His insides were burning as if they were on fire and he fell to his knees. His prisoner was breaking out.

"STOP IT! I WILL WIN! I'LL GET WHAT I WANT! I'LL... win," E.N.D. yelled and he punched the ground.

He heard the roar and the flap of wings rang in his ears. He couldn't hold him in for much longer, he wasn't strong enough anymore... E.N.D. clawed at the ground as his internal prisoner escaped in a plume of smoke out of him. The battle froze as everyone watched the gigantic reptile fly into the air. He flapped his powerful wings and broke free of the black chains that had bound him.

 _"Hello, E.N.D.,"_ he said as he landed on the ground _"It's been a long time, my son,"_

E.N.D. glared up at him and spat out some blood. He gritted his teeth as he forced himself to his feet. With fire exploding around him, he growled the dragon's name...

" _Igneel..._ "

* * *

 **Igneel! Hi!**


	17. Chapter 16: Dragons Return

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 16:

Dragons Return

* * *

The recovery team with the defected Minerva returned to the battlefield to see Mirajane throw Neo-Lisanna into the palace. They quickly met up with the capture team and saw Zeref curled up without the magic runes. At first hesitant of Minerva's presence, the Sabertooth members accepted her after getting an explanation. Jellal went to Erza and hugged her, wrapping her slender form in his arms. He was just so relieved that she was still alive.

"How's everything going here?" he asked.

"I asked if Zeref loved his brother and he curled up like a turtle into its shell," Erza said, her scarlet hair swishing down her back.

Jellal knelt down outside of the runes and looked at the Black Wizard. The mere idea of Zeref had caused so much pain in his life. Looking at him now, he saw a sad young man plagued by pain and sadness.

"Look out there..." he said and pointed to where E.N.D. was on Deliora's shoulder "Is that your little brother? Is that the kid you were raised with?"

Zeref looked up only to witness his brother jump from Deliora's shoulder. He steadily got to his feet in concern when he saw the smoke float into the air. The great red dragon rose up and broke his chains as he stretched his wings.

"Igneel," Zeref said, awestruck "E.N.D. couldn't contain him anymore..."

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed.

Before an answer could be given, Sting and Rogue doubled over in pain.

* * *

Igneel landed on the ground, feeling the scorched earth under his claws. He let out a mighty raw and bright flames shot from his mouth. He looked down at the Flame Demon below and released a puff of smoke.

 _"Hello, E.N.D.,"_ he said _"It's been a long time, my son,"_

E.N.D. looked up at Igneel and felt pain from his third life resurface. He clawed at the ground as fire consumed him. Hot tears ran down his face as his mind was flooded by waves of conflicting memories. Multiple lifetimes clashed as he lost his sense of self. Through the pulsing confusion, E.N.D.'s pain and fury towards Igneel remained prominent even though his reason for it was gone. He jumped forward, fire dragging behind his fist as he reeled back for a hit.

 _"Natsu, calm yourself,"_ Igneel said and he raised his claw to catch him _"Try to think. Your clashing lives are blurring your mind. Try to remember!"_

The identity-less Flame Demon ignited himself in Demonic Fire that burnt through the Fire Dragon's scales and forced him to let go. The Flame Demon grabbed onto Igneel's soft underbelly and clawed into him. He began climbing before jumping upwards with another fire-encased punch.

 _"Natsu!"_ Igneel exclaimed.

The Flame Demon hit his lower jaw, forcing the Fire Dragon to headbutt him back down. He landed on the ground and Igneel but his claws over him to pin him down. It was just like 400 years ago, in the year X404, when he first faced E.N.D. in a fight to the death. Except, that ended with him sealing the Etherious Demon into the Book of E.N.D. and he couldn't do that again. Ignoring how the Flame Demon struggled like a caged animal, Igneel rested his neck on the ground and craned his head round to look at him.

 _"Natsu, my son, raising you was the greatest six years of my life but now... you're lost within your own mind. All of your lifetimes are trying to take control. You don't know who you are anymore... I'm sorry, Natsu, for letting this happen to you. I fear I can't give you another chance at life, you've already had three,"_ the Fire Dragon apologized.

Despite his years of wisdom, Igneel had no idea how to save his son. In all of history, he was the only being to ever be born, killed then resurrected, sealed away, revived and then had his second life come back into control. It was like three personalities were fighting for dominance. Igneel curled up, keeping the nameless Flame Demon pinned down and wrapped his wings around them to shield them from the battle. He knew Fairy Tail was about to break Zeref's Contradictory Curse so he knew... "Natsu Dragneel" didn't have long.

* * *

"Sting, sweetie? What's wrong?" Yukino asked as the blonde Dragon Slayer collapsed.

"Rogue, what's happening?" Minerva asked the other one.

Both Dragon Slayers withered in pain as a strange smoke came from them. Zeref looked at the ground, he knew what was happening... the dragons were returning. With all-mighty roars, the dragons Weisslogia and Skiadrum came from their respective Dragon Slayer children. Across the battlefield, Metalicana revealed himself from Gajeel while a roar from underground proved Grandina was free from Wendy as well. It was unbelievable... four dragons, five counting Acnologia, were now present at the Battle for Fiore. Grandina came crashing out of the ground with passengers on her back and she joined the scene.

 _"Igneel!"_ roared Weisslogia _"This is why E.N.D. should have been destroyed 400 years ago! Even if he once was human, he's not now and he needs to be stopped,"_

 _"Silence yourself, Weisslogia! You are talking about my son!"_ Igneel roared back, lifting his tired head _"You wouldn't be so bloodthirsty if Sting was the one in question,"_

 _"Don't you speak of my son!"_ Weisslogia shot back and he spread out his wing to shield Sting's weathered body.

Skiadrum, who was perched on a rock point, looked down at Zeref where the Black Wizard sat within the magic-cancelling runes. His darkness simply radiated off him. People stared at the mystical beasts as they conserved about the current situation. Sting found refuge in Yukino's arms as he tried to comprehend seeing his father alive again. Rogue unintentionally found himself being comforted by Minerva of all people as he stared up at his own dragon parent.

 _"You boys can't go five minutes without arguing, can you?"_ Grandina said with a tired voice as she landed and her passangers climbed off _"Now, we all saw what Igneel did 400 years ago when E.N.D.'s initial reign of terror ended. We all agreed to letting him live! He's just a child whose life was taken from him too soon. He deserved another chance at life but those from his second life wouldn't stop and now look! The poor child doesn't even have a sense of self anymore!"_

 _"What's your point, Grandina?"_ Metalicana asked _"That was then and this is now. It's obvious that he can't escape being E.N.D. and he's had more chances to live than anybody else in history! We tried to give him a new life but it proved pointless. It's time the Flame Demon died..."_

"NO!" Zeref yelled "You can't kill my brother!"

Tears came to his red eyes at the thought of losing his brother yet again. They stared at him and Lucy stepped forward. From within her bag, she pulled out the limp dragon toy that was found in the Dragneel home. She knelt down outside of the magic runes and placed the dragon toy on the ground.

"This was Natsu's, right?" Lucy asked, her voice gentle against the sound of crackling fire "He was sick, wasn't he?"

Zeref nodded.

"He had tuberculosis from drinking infected cow's milk... it wasn't a severe case but he was born 5 weeks early so his immune system was compromised... he didn't have the strength to fight back," he said in a broken voice.

"He was only 4, right? That's too young for someone to die but, really, no one should have to die. It's not fair on them or their loved ones..." she continued "But it still happens... I know the pain,"

"How could you possibly know my pain?!" Zeref yelled at her.

Lucy remained calm and brushed some hair out of her face.

"My mom died when I was young... She was really sick and she didn't get better," she explained "Losing her was hard and my father became distant, I effectively lost both my parents at once..." she put her hands to her heart as if to caress her guild mark "But I lived on and now Fairy Tail is my family! Living on is something you never did, Zeref! You've been living off moral principles that you came up with when you were 7 for the past 441 years!"

Lucy leaned down into a bow and her hair fell past her shoulders to the floor. With tears falling to the ground, she looked up at the Black Wizard and sniffed.

"You can't move on from this pain... this grief... but you _can_ live on. Can you honestly say that the Flame Demon currently grappling with his past lives is the same person you're baby brother was?" she asked "Think! Was the boy who loved this toy ever truly resurrected?! Or was it just his body?"

Zeref looked out at the fiery battlefield as tears ran down his face. The face of his younger brother flashed in his mind as he took in Lucy's words. In the past 400 years, the only time Natsu came close to being his old self was when he was de-aged due to Igneel taking his powers and memories of E.N.D., sealed away and then revived to be raised as a Dragon Slayer. E.N.D. wasn't the same younger brother he had been trying to resurrect... resurrection truly was impossible.

"Natsu... I'm sorry... I should have known it was never truly you..." Zeref whispered to himself.

The Demonic Fire of E.N.D. that spread across the land went out as something within the Black Wizard broke. Minerva began to cough up strange clear liquid that evaporated as soon as it hit the ground. A purple mist passed over her and she collapsed into Rogue's arms. Her bandages outfit was replaced with a simple white dress and her demonic features disappeared from her... she was human again

* * *

Lisanna coughed up the clear liquid as her sister comforted her through it. With every cough, her tail and horns shrank, her eyes turned bluer and her skin became warmer. A purple mist passed over her and left her in a white summer dress with a white cardigan.

"M-Mirajane?" Lisanna stammered, her voice horse "Wh-What happened?"

Mirajane put an arm around her weak younger sister and hugged her.

"You're back to normal... you're human and not a demon... you're Lisanna again! That's all I needed to happen," she said, crying for her sister's de-demonification.

Lisanna weakly smiled as her memories of the battle were foggy but her time in Demon's Layer wasn't. E.N.D. had taken care of her and loved her... everything she wished Natsu had down. That's why she couldn't keep a hold of herself during her demonification, some small part of her wanted it so she could be with him. Reaching into her pocket, Lisanna pulled out the locket Zeref had smuggled to her. She cracked it open to see a family picture of the entire Dragneel family with the engraving "To Mama with all our love, Natsu and Zeref". It was Tora's...

"Mirajane... can we rebuild Magnolia now?" Lisanna asked, closing the locket "I want to go home,"

Mirajane hugged her tighter as they leaned against the palace.

"We will... there's just some things that need to be taken care of first," she said.

* * *

 **This story's wrapping up but I've got a surprise for you at the end, or should I say, at the E.N.D.? Ha! Terrible pun...**


	18. Chapter 17: At Dawn this Ends

**Brace yourself for some serious feels. I'm crying already :'(**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Chapter 17:

At Dawn this Ends

* * *

Somehow through all the pain and destruction, the sun still managed to creep up from beyond the horizon. Its warm rays spread across the barren land and with it, it brought new hope. Zeref screamed as a black beam of light shot out from him and into the sky. Tears ran down his pale face as his red eyes... turned green. The Demons of Zeref's Books screamed as they were reverted into book form and burned by the same black energy shooting for the sky. Not far off, Demon's Layer collapsed in on itself and became nothing but rubble.

Igneel stepped back from his son as Natsu radiated the same black energy as the others. He screamed and a book titled "E.N.D." appeared before him. It burnt away and he began to cough up the same clear liquid as Minerva and Lisanna. The purple mist passed over him and his demonic features disappeared. Was he demonified? He must have been the first...

"NATSU!"

Frantically, Fairy Tail ran to him and froze at the sight of him. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and trousers with a red sash tide around his waist. He rose to his feet and stared at his hands when a golden mist began to flow from him. Cautiously, Fairy Tail approached.

"E.N.D.?" Gray asked, trying to get a look at his face.

"My name... is not E.N.D.," the pink-haired boy said before looking up at them with tears in his usual soot-black eyes "It's Natsu Dragneel!"

"Natsu!"

They hugged him but he stiffened and stepped away from his guildmates. Natsu wrapped his arms around himself and turned his back. It wasn't over yet...

"I'm sorry... it's my fault..." he whispered, turning to look at them again with tears running down his face "I'm a monster! And it's time this monster died..."

"What are you talking about, Natsu? Everything's going to be fine now," Erza asked.

Natsu doubled over and coughed violently into his hand. When he was done, he showed them his palm and they saw his crimson blood had covered it. At that moment, they realized what was happening to him. Without the power of the Contradictory Curse, not only had all the Etherious Demons been destroyed but the power that gave Natsu life was gone. He looked down sadly with blood running down from the corners of his mouth. He smiled and looked up at his guild.

"It was great being a member of Fairy Tail, you guys were the most stable family I've had but... it's time for me to go," Natsu said, his voice slightly horse from his coughing fit.

"No! You can't go!" Lucy shouted "You're the heart and soul of Fairy Tail! It won't be a home without you!"

Everyone began yelling in protest but Natsu just sadly smiled as they begged him not to give up. Igneel rose up from behind his son and roared to get their attention. Fairy Tail stared up at the Fire Dragon as he lowered himself to their level.

 _"Can't you see how hard this is for Natsu? There's no way to stop it and he's just trying to say goodbye to his family but you won't let him. This isn't something you can change... you'll just have to accept,"_ he said.

The wizards looked at the pink-haired boy, who looked over at his foster father.

"Dad... why? Why did you disappear?" Natsu asked him.

Igneel moved his head closer and his son leaned against his snout like he used to.

 _"The other dragons and I had our lives shortened by Acnologia a long time ago. We needed to survive until we could defeat him so we sealed ourselves in our children's bodies. I disapproved of Weisslogia and Skiadrum manipulating Sting and Rogue's memories, though,"_ the Fire Dragon explained _"But it seems Acnologia flew off when I escaped from E.N.D.,"_

Natsu nodded, rubbing his head against Igneel's red scales and he pushed himself up. The Fire Dragon Slayer got up and walked over to his guild, his condition worsening with every step. With dark rings under his eyes, he looked up at them and saw their crying faces. He had to tell them individually how he felt.

"Lucy..." Natsu said, stepping forward and hugged her "Thank you... I was hurting a lot and I didn't even realize it when we first met... you've been the best partner and I'll treasure our adventures together... you're like a sister to me,"

Lucy sniffed and hugged him back, frantically trying to blink away her tears. Natsu stepped back and faced Gray with a sad smile.

"Pity we never got the chance to have that final deciding fight over which one of us was stronger," he said "I enjoyed being rivals with you, you streaking popsicle,"

"Stop it right now, Natsu, or I'll punch you in the face," Gray said, his shaky voice betraying him "You pyro,"

Natsu grinned and turned to Erza, who immediately pulled him to her armour for a bone-cracking hug. She cried as she squeezed and Jellal had to pry her arms off from around Natsu before she killed him sooner. Natsu stepped back and gasped in breath before coughing violently into his hand again (you didn't want to shake hands with him).

"Erza... I've always been absolutely petrified of you but you're a good friend and someone I look up to. I just wish I could have beaten you just once..." he laughed as he tried to muffle his coughs.

Erza grabbed his wrist and used his hand to weakly slap herself.

"I forfeit, you win," she said, smiling at him.

Natsu smiled at her before falling to his knees to be the same height as Wendy. He put his hands on her shoulders and hugged her. Wendy let out a whine and hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Goodbye, Wendy, you've been a great little sister to me," he said "And I hope you'll take care of Happy for me when I'm gone,"

"I will, I definitely will," she sobbed.

From within her backpack, Carla and Happy sprung out with white wings extended to their fullest. Happy flew right into Natsu's arms and tackled him onto the ground. The blue Exceed sobbed the loudest as he cried into his best friend's chest. Natsu smiled sadly down at him and gently stroked his head as he sat back up.

"Oh... Happy," he quietly whispered "My furry little buddy,"

Happy looked up at him and his eyes widened as Natsu smiled down at him.

"Natsu... I thought I'd never see you again and now... and now you're dying?" he asked "It's not fair!"

Natsu gently shushed him as he stroked the back of the Exceed's head.

"Happy... I've been dead for a long time," he said "For 441 years, in fact. I was brought back by unnatural means and my death has been returned to me. This is my fate and I have to accept that. But don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you from the sky,"

Happy nodded and jumped out of his arms. Someone then shouted "Look!" and everyone turned to see Mirajane coming their way... with Lisanna. The younger white-haired beauty detached from her sister and weakly hobbled over to Natsu. Natsu got to his feet and she fell into his arms. They hugged each other with the little strength either of them had left.

"Natsu!" Lisanna cried "I've been in love with you for years! Not just the love I had when we were little kids, I mean real love! I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner!"

Fresh tears ran from Natsu's black eyes and he looked down at her as she sobbed into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up and spun her around. Lisanna looked at him with her arms wrapped around his neck and she smiled at him. Natsu brought her to a stop but kept his close embrace of her as he put her feet back on the ground.

"Lisanna... I've been in love with you since the moment you said you liked dragons," he said "I just didn't know it then... I'm sorry you found out about my feelings from E.N.D.,"

With tears in her deep blue eyes, Lisanna pulled herself up to her tiptoes and kissed him. Natsu tightened his grip around her and they held each other closely. It was soft and sweet and gentle, everything their first kiss should have been. Natsu gently brought it to an end and pulled away. He cupped the side of her face in his uncoughed-in hand and stroked her hair back. They leaned their foreheads against each other's and sighed in peace. He could have died right there but there was one more person he needed to talk to.

"Natsu..."

Natsu looked up and saw Zeref with his hands cuffed behind his back and the palace guards behind him. He kissed Lisanna's forehead and stepped away from her to face his older brother. Every bit of dark magic within Zeref was gone and his immortality was revoked. He was mortal again...

"Zeref..." Natsu said, quietly but was interrupted by another coughing fit.

"Natsu... I'm so sorry," Zeref said, genuine tears falling from his green eyes "You were only 4 and I couldn't accept the fact you had died. I didn't want to think I'd never see you again, you're my little brother after all. Natsu... I wanted to give you another chance at life but I know now that bringing a body back to life isn't the same as bringing a soul back... you probably don't even remember but-"

Zeref's apologetic rambling was interrupted by Natsu punching him in the gut! The former Black Wizard fell to his knees and looked up at the displeased look on his brother's face. Natsu looked down at him with his hands on his sides and shook his head.

"Darn right you're sorry, Zef! What would Mother and Father say if they saw you know, eh? You used to be so kind, the kind of kid that stayed up all night with a sick lamb to make sure its fever didn't spike. Honestly... you were supposed to be the responsible one out of the two of us..." Natsu yelled at him.

Zeref stared up at him in shock. No one had called him "Zef" in years... E.N.D. had but that always seemed empty but this... this was genuine! It was! It was his baby brother! Natsu reached down and pulled his big brother back to his feet. Zeref stumbled over his own two feet and his pink-haired brother hugged him.

"Zef... please live on. Just because I lost my life didn't mean you had to stop living yours... live for the two of us, will ya? And stop being such an idiot... you're supposed to be some kinda prodigy, right?" Natsu asked him.

Zeref nodded and he felt his cuffs slip off his wrists. Natsu stepped back and spun them around his finger. How he got them off, no one knew. He tossed them away and stepped apart from the group.

"I've done a lot of damage to Fiore so I figure I should repair it, right?" he said with his fanged smirk "Thank Zef for teaching me this magic during my early years as E.N.D.,"

Natsu crouched down on the ground and put his hand to it. He closed his eyes and sighed as his magic circle appeared underfoot and overhead. The ground began to rumble as his magic coursed through Fiore's veins and spread across the entire continent. The land shone brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red with flickers of blue and white here and there. It was like all of Fiore was on fire! Natsu's hair whipped around his closed eyes as he sent every ounce of magic within him outwards to aid in this beautiful blaze. No one had seen fire be so majestic before...

Looking around, the damage to Crocus reversed and the dead wasteland flourished with fields of thick grass blades and forests regrew from scratch. The fire suddenly went out and left Fiore lush and lively once more. How a single person could do such a thing was incomprehensible...

Natsu wobbled on his feet and collapsed backwards into Lisanna's arms. She knelt down with him as tears sprang from her eyes. He just had a cocky grin on his face. From within the crowd of witnesses to this event came Makarov accompanied by Laxus. The guild master stepped forward and rolled up the sleeve of Natsu's t-shirt that would cover his guild mark.

"There are three conditions you must agree to in order to leave this guild, Natsu," he said "One, you must never reveal any sensitive information about Fairy Tail to outsiders, as long as you live. Two, you must never use the clients you met through the guild to achieve personal gain. Three, though our paths may differ, you must always live your life with all of your might. Never must you consider your own life to be insignificant. Never in your life must you forget the friends you held dear,"

With this, Makarov moved his hand over Natsu's shoulder and restored his fairy Tail guild mark. Natsu smiled at the short-statured man with tears running down his face.

"Thank you, Master, you've done so much for me... for us all... I wish I could have repaid you," he said, trying to sit up with Lisanna's aid "You were one of the best father figure I've had in all my 445 years of life... thanks, Gramps,"

Makarov saw the same excited grin Natsu had the day he was first brought to Fairy Tail. It was so bright and filled with joy. The old man began to sniff and let out a loud cry that unnerved everybody. No matter how indifferent Makarov acted, he truly did care for the lives of his children.

Natsu reached back and threaded his fingers with Lisanna's. He shifted to be kneeling before her and he embraced her tightly. The cool wind picked up and Natsu began to cough over her shoulder. Lisanna held him tighter as he did until he lost all tension in his body and the golden mist stopped flowing from him. Mortified, she put him onto his back and placed her ear over his heart... nothing. Fresh tears came to everyone's eyes as they tried to comprehend what had happened.

"Natsu? Natsu!" Lisanna cried.

She brushed away his pink hair to look at his face. He looked so peaceful, as if he was sleeping. As everyone mourned, a golden light appeared behind her and a hand was placed on her shoulder. Lisanna looked back to see Natsu's soul standing behind her with a wide goofy smile on his face. She gasped and watched as he walked over to Juvia and took his scarf out of the Water Mage's bag. Natsu crouched down beside Lisanna and wrapped the scale-patterned scarf around her. He then proceeded to kiss her forehead before getting to his feet and walking away. He walked towards the sunrise and was joined by Tora and Kyo.

Surprisingly, a pink-haired young girl came hopping over to them and she nuzzled up to Natsu. Tears ran from Zeref's eyes and splashed on the ground. His mother, his father, his brother and his sister... all dead and now he was truly alone. Without saying a word, the deceased members of the Dragneel family walked away until they disappeared into the sunrise.

A new day had come with a new year, the year X792. E.N.D. was defeated and Zeref's curse was broken at the cost of Natsu Dragneel's life. He'd left behind his best friend, his partner, his team and the one he loved. Happy, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy and Lisanna... he'd left behind his guild and at his lost... the people of Fiore cried.

* * *

 **Next up is an epilogue! Then a surprise...**

 **Also, did I write this right? Did it tug at the heart strings? Did I get you in the feels? Please let me know! Here's a cookie and if you accept, type this new face in response 'o' I know it's not as good as the old one...**

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 **Sorry for any mistakes. I edited most of this while I was half asleep and at one point actually asleep.**


	19. Epilogue: Old and New

**Epilogue time! I better see some tears!**

* * *

E.N.D. Rises

Epilogue:

Old and New

 _...2 months later..._

* * *

It rained. Lisanna looked down at the gravestone with sadness as the raindrops pitta-pattered on her umbrella. Around her neck was Natsu's treasured scarf that he gave to her as a last act. He'd restored all of Fiore using nothing but his own magic power and his wish for his brother to live had saved Zeref from the death sentence. Natsu really had been an amazing guy... that was now dead. Lisanna sniffed and dropped her umbrella as she collapsed onto her knees and cried into her hands. The rain soaked her hair, his scarf, her black jumper and the puddle she knelt in soaked her knees. But she didn't care how wet she was, she cried out as lightning stuck outside of town. The engraved letters of the gravestone mocked her:

 **Natsu Dragneel**

 **June 21st, X346 - January 1st, X792**

 _ **"On fairy wings, we fly for the heavens.**_

 _ **With a dragon's roar, we search for adventure.**_

 _ **And together with you, we shall never stand alone."**_

Natsu would probably have liked how they used his original birth date on his gravestone. Then people would see the days and be utterly confused by it. He always liked causing mischief. Lisanna fell forward and hit the ground. It wasn't fair. He shouldn't have had to die. Everything that had happened over the past 400 years was caused because he didn't get to live!

"Natsu... I hope your soul is finally at peace now..." Lisanna whispered, looking up at the already weathered gravestone "I love... loved you,"

With tears still falling, she dragged herself to her feet and slowly trudged away from her first love's grave. Maybe this was karma for making everyone think she was dead for two years or for not telling him her feelings when she had the chance. Either way, the universe was punishing her...

* * *

 _...Elsewhere..._

Darkness... and then sound. Followed by touch and sight. Then consciousness... that was it. All of Project 001's memories. Everything was new. The feel of the air against his skin, the horrible smell of the room he was locked in and the heavy feeling of longing that sat in his stomach. He had no words to describe how things were.

"'Ey, further back," ordered a guard and he kicked the door.

The thud of the metal being hit against... that was new too. So was the guard's voice... and the words. He hadn't heard words before... He shuffled away from the door and felt the damp ground scrape against his skin. The cold was new. The room was new. _Life_ was new! Disliking something was new and he disliked his situation. Sitting in a cold, dark cell wearing a hospital gown was unpleasant. But had things ever been pleasant? Had he ever experienced something that was new _and_ good? Did he even know what that meant?

"Open the door," that voice was new.

"Yes, sir," two voices at once was new.

The door opening was new. The light that loomed in from outside was new. The shadow of the man was new. The man _himself_ was new.

"Hello, Project 001," those words were new "I am the head of this facility. Can you speak?"

Questions were new. Unanswered ones were too...

"I suppose not... you must be _very_ scared," being patronized was new "Get on those legs of yours and follow me,"

Walking was new. He put his hands against the slimy wall and pushed himself up. This was all very new. Moving his feet forward one at a time was new. But should he follow this man? Disobedience was new...

His jaw hovered up and down as words tried to be said but speech was new. Everything was too new. Was this really what life was about? Being terrified of the new and longing for the old? But what "old" was he longing for? How could he "long" for anything? Time was new and yet he did know he hadn't always been in this room. He hadn't always been here. There was something he was longing for, something that predated all of this newness and he'd find it. Determination was new too...

Desperately, he grabbed a brick from the floor and approached the man from behind. He felt something in him snap together and he swung with a roar. The man fell to the ground but the guards rushed in and pinned him down. Attacking was new... but it felt old.

"Take Project 001 to Laboratory B and have the researchers perform Experiment Beta-A, got it?" the man ordered.

"Yes, sir," the guards responded.

Struggling was new. Leaving the room was new. Suddenly the room felt old. The light was new and now the darkness was old. He looked around. Searching was new. He saw himself in a window... reflection was new. He had an appearance, that was new and his hair may have been dirty but it was pink. He looked into his own soot-black eyes and saw the haunted look of a past in them. He had a past and now he knew it. No more being afraid... he'd find it. There had to be a place where things were old to him. Somewhere where he was a person. A home...

* * *

 **Big announcement time! Drum roll please...**

 ***drum roll*drum roll*drum roll***

 **I'm doing a sequel called "E.N.D. Rises: Natsu's Return" and its up now so check it out!**


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